Thus far the Chicago Bears schedule hasn’t been affected by any suspensions regarding their own players. This is welcome news after what happened last year and the year before that with guys like Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan losing time for various offenses. No one would think a loss on another team might change the outlook for the season as it stands.
They might be wrong. Word came down in a breaking fashion that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are likely to lose starting quarterback Jameis Winston to suspension at the start of this season. Initial estimates are it will be for three games, but there doesn’t seem to be a definitive prognosis on that. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network says that’s the ballpark and it could easily grow into more.
#Bucs QB Jameis Winston is expected to be suspended by the NFL for several games for the his conduct with an Uber driver, sources say. A number has not yet been finalized. Jeff Cameron of ESPN Radio 97.9 originally said three games, and one source believes that is the ballpark.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 21, 2018
#Bucs QB Jameis Winston has not been notified of his suspension, nor has the team, sources said. But the expectation is he’s off the field for several games. The next similar circumstance will mean a one-year suspension for Winston.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 21, 2018
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This is interesting for a number of reasons. The biggest being it could have a direct impact on the Bears because they play the Buccaneers in Week 4 this season.
Winston suspension could be win-win for Chicago Bears schedule
There are two ways to look at this. If it’s a three-game suspension as most expect, the Bears would be getting Winston in his first game back. The odds of him being sharp after such a long layoff are remote. One must also add in the fact that Tampa Bay will be coming to Chicago after playing host the previous three years. One final note?
The Buccaneers will likely be 0-3 going into that game since their first three opponents are the Saints, Eagles, and Steelers. One is the defending Super Bowl champion and the other two were playoff teams who boast elite quarterbacks. Can the Buccaneers expect Ryan Fitzpatrick to dig them out of that? Unlikely. So they’ll have zero momentum coming into that game.
Then there’s the possibility the suspension is more than three games. If that’s the case, the Bears won’t have to play Winston at all. They get Fitzpatrick instead. The same man who is considerably worse playing on the road than he is at home. So either way, it looks like the Bears will be in a favorable position come Week 4. They either get a rusty Winston trying to rescue his fledgling team or they get a 35-year old journeyman in Fitzpatrick.
At a time where Chicago is looking for it’s first winning season in six years, they need all the help they can get. So there’s no reason to look this potential gift horse in the mouth.