Blaine Gabbert

Gabbert and the Buccaneers can't seem to quit each other, with the veteran signing on for a third straight year this offseason to serve as the No. 2 to Tom Brady. Originally brought on in 2020 due to his familiarity with coach Bruce Arians' offensive system, Gabbert has put up just 27 pass attempts the last two seasons, but he's clearly valued as an insurance policy behind the ever durable Brady. Another year of Gabbert on the roster also buys an additional season of development for Kyle Trask, who was drafted in the second round last year and is considered a prime candidate to take the starting job in 2023 if Brady retires.

Signed last offseason to fill the role of trusted veteran backup with experience in the new coach's offense, Gabbert ultimately failed to take a regular-season snap for the Buccaneers in 2019. A dislocated shoulder suffered during the third preseason game ultimately landed him on injured reserve, but after briefly entering the open market this spring Gabbert returned to Tampa on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old now projects to back up a future Hall of Famer in Tom Brady and seemingly has a strong chance of securing a roster spot. However, with fellow backup Ryan Griffin now having logged a year in Arians' system as well, Gabbert presumably will have to outperform his fellow signal-caller this summer unless the Bucs opt to keep three quarterbacks.

The veteran signal-caller joined the Buccaneers this offseason after a single campaign in Tennessee. Gabbert started 2018 as Marcus Mariota's backup, but he did end up logging a couple starts, including the regular-season finale against the Colts. Gabbert's final numbers - 626 yards, 60.4 percent passing, 4:4 TD:INT - were essentially a microcosm of the perfect mediocrity that has been the 2011 first-round pick's career. But, while a Gabbert-helmed quarterback depth chart is a non-starter for any team with postseason aspirations, he does make for an adequate emergency option. For the time being, he'll serve as an additional tutor for Winston in the intricacies of Bruce Arians' pass-centric offense, with Gabbert having spent the 2017 season playing under Tampa's new head man in Arizona. However, there's certainly a chance that fellow reserve Ryan Griffin outperforms him in training camp and the preseason and ultimately leaves Gabbert on the outside looking in.

Gabbert maintained his unimpressive performance in Arizona during 2017, completing 95 of 171 attempts for 1,086 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. He'll serve as Marcus Mariota's backup, so he won't see the field unless there's an injury. Even if that happens, Gabbert would be best suited in leagues that start two quarterbacks.

Chased out of Jacksonville after three lackluster seasons despite having been the 10th overall pick in 2011, Gabbert came into last year having thrown just 93 passes spread across four games over the previous two campaigns. Colin Kaepernick's continued struggles eventually forced Gabbert into the starting lineup, and he proved to be surprisingly adequate on a team that didn't offer much help. Gabbert's YPA and completion percentage were both career highs, and while the 49ers fortunes didn't improve much with him under center (3-5 with Gabbert as the starter versus 2-6 with Kaepernick at the helm) the coaching staff seemed to think he gave them a better chance to win. One of the many recent college QBs who came out of spread offenses and had trouble adjusting to the NFL, Gabbert has the size, mobility and arm strength most teams look for in a quarterback, but he still has trouble delivering an accurate deep ball - not that the team's lackluster receiving corps and conservative gameplan required him to air it out much. Gabbert should head into Week 1 atop the depth chart and could get a boost from new coach Chip Kelly's uptempo offense, but without an upgraded supporting cast his production will likely remain limited.

Gabbert only entered one game last season in garbage time, and he will likely be just as transparent this season barring a major injury to Colin Kaepernick.

The former top-10 draft pick, Gabbert, was acquired by the 49ers this off-season in exchange for a sixth round pick. He has been a monumental bust so far through his three years with the Jaguars (53.3 CMP%, 22 TD, 24 INT), but he is hoping to preserve his career as a backup behind Colin Kaepernick.

Heading into the offseason, it was really a coin flip as to who will be the starting quarterback for the Jaguars in 2013, but for now, Gabbert will hold on to it. That said, the Jags' new staff has no loyalty to Gabbert, but he's also younger than Chad Henne. Gabbert improved in his second year in the league, increasing his completion rate by nearly eight percentage points and his YPA by more than a half-yard. Still, even after the improvement, his YPA was only 6.0, and the team's passing game didn’t take off last year until Henne took over.

Despite playing so cautiously as to average just 10.5 yards per completion (31st) as a rookie, Gabbert managed to connect on only 50.8 percent of his passes. It’s too early to write him off completely, but the juxtaposition of those numbers generally indicates a profound and perhaps unfixable lack of anticipation skills. Gabbert just didn’t know how to read a defense last year, or at least was too afraid to stand in the pocket long enough to do so. This problem was evident in college, too. The additions of receivers Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson should help somewhat, but Gabbert needs to play with more confidence and better instincts, or Chad Henne will be throwing to them before long.

Although it was a big surprise to see Gabbert fall to the 10th pick in the draft, it’s still tough to see him stealing anything more than a start or two from David Garrard in 2011. Gabbert could have a lot to learn switching from Missouri’s screen-heavy spread offense to a ball-control NFL offense, and it’s not as if Garrard has been a huge liability as a starter. Unless Garrard regresses badly, he figures to be just good enough to stay on the field another year.