Luke McCown

The Saints re-signed McCown this offseason, and the 34-year-old quarterback is expected to again serve as Drew Brees' primary backup. Though he had season-ending back surgery in early November, McCown made one start in 2015 in relief of an injured Brees, throwing for 310 yards with an interception and no touchdowns in Week 3.

McCown is expected to compete with Ryan Griffin to be Drew Brees' primary backup in New Orleans.

McCown, who attempted one pass for New Orleans in 2013, will serve as Drew Brees' backup quarterback with the Saints.

McCown will serve as the backup to Drew Brees with the Saints.

McCown will serve as Matt Ryan's backup in 2012.

There were rumors in the offseason that McCown could be challenging for David Garrard's starting QB spot, but Garrard's job seems safe at least for now. Still, it's not out of the question to see McCown inserted into the role if Garrard struggles mightily, especially since coach Jack Del Rio is trying to save his own job. Should he start, McCown probably won't put up much bigger numbers than Garrard, but he may not make as many mistakes.

Byron Leftwich and rookie Josh Freeman may be the headliners, but McCown will also get a shot at the Bucs' QB job, and even second-year man Josh Johnson is nominally in the mix. McCown performed well for a stretch in 2007 and can rack up points with his legs, but he’s never been considered seriously as a starter during his four prior NFL seasons. New head coach Raheem Morris was promoted from heading up the defensive backs and appointed as offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, formerly of Boston College and fired for interviewing with the Jets. Jagodzinski hasn’t really stayed anywhere long enough to give one a firm sense of his offensive philosophy. He did have a pass-happy attack at Boston College and had a large role in developing NFL-ready Matt Ryan. So maybe the learning curve for Freeman will be accelerated. But to expect returns from him in 2009 is foolish. Yes, Antonio Bryant looked last year like the franchise wide receiver the Bucs designated him as in February. And TE Kellen Winslow will be productive if healthy, though he’s rarely that given his chronic knee troubles. The best hope for 2009 production lies with Leftwich; but he’s too mechanical – lacking the improvisational flair one needs to be a big scorer in the fast-paced NFL world, so don't completely write McCown off.

McCown helped assure the Buccaneers' division title in 2007, stepping in for a Week 13 start when Jeff Garcia was hurt and engineering a road win over the Saints. He's got talent, but really needs some more reps before he can be projected as a possible number one quarterback; he'll likely be the number three for the Bucs this year behind Garcia and Brian Griese.

Once Chris Simms went down for the year in Week Three, the Bucs turned to McCown, who finally got a chance to become a starting quarterback in the NFL ... whoops, dial that one back. McCown injured his knee over the summer, so when Simms went down, McCown was still two months away from being on Jon Gruden's list of options, and he never saw any playing time last year. Unless injuries strike again in camp, McCown is now too far down the depth chart to make the Bucs' regular season roster.

McCown tore the ACL in his right knee in a June workout, and he's expected to miss the entire 2006 season.

McCown will compete with Chris Simms for the backup quarterback role with Tampa Bay. McCown, who came over from the Browns in a draft-day trade, made four starts in December as a rookie; he looked good against the Patriots in his debut but got manhandled a bit afterwards (nine sacks, five interceptions in his last three starts).

McCown has been tabbed the quarterback of the future for the team, so do not expect him to throw many passes this year. Jeff Garcia and Kelly Holcomb will navigate the offense this season.