Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon started 13 games as a rookie in 2013, but he played in just six games (five starts) as Josh McCown’s backup last year. McCown is gone, after signing with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent, but the Buccaneers drafted Jameis Winston No. 1 overall this year and he is fully expected to start immediately.
Despite speculation to the contrary at different points in the offseason, Buccaneers’ general manager Jason Licht said that no calls came from other teams regarding Glennon’s trade status. There will be no battle for the starting job as long as Winston avoids serious injury, but Glennon is clearly in place as Tampa Bay’s No. 2 quarterback with no real competition for that role. Seth Lobato spent part of last season on the Miami Dolphins‘ practice squad after not being drafted, and he is the only other quarterback Tampa Bay is carrying into training camp right now after signing a futures contract last December.
Preseason games could give the Buccaneers one last opportunity to showcase Glennon as a trade chip, but with no clear option to take over as Winston’s backup the team can hardly be blamed for keeping him around. But if (or when?) injuries alter quarterback situations around the league over the course of camp and the preseason, renewed trade interest could surround Glennon before the start of the season.
Glennon is a lock to make Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster at this point, so the biggest key for him through training camp will be staying healthy. The Buccaneers should have Winston’s development on their front burner, but going with McCown for 11 starts last season seems to show how little they think of Glennon and he should welcome a trade out of Tampa Bay.
An argument can be made for Glennon as one of the league’s most promising backup quarterbacks, with a fair amount of playing time (18 starts and 619 pass attempts) on his resume through two seasons and youth (25 years old) on his side. A good showing during training camp won’t bring a much-needed change of scenery for Glennon on its own, but if he steps up and does well in preseason games he can force the Buccaneers to trade him at the peak of his value.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.