Is Jameis Winston primed for a big year?

With much of the negativity that often surrounds Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston on social media, forums, and some media outlets, it’s refreshing to see that some offer positive takes on the 24-year-old.

Winston played the majority of the 2017 season with a hurt shoulder. After finally being shut down to nurse the injury, he returned for the final five games of the season. He threw eight touchdowns and just two interceptions before their Week 17 matchup against New Orleans where he was responsible for three interceptions. He would, however, throw the game-winning touchdown in the closing seconds to Chris Godwin down the sidelines.

Tampa Bay’s season was not reflective of his production. He improved in many statistical categories despite what many call a failure. And as Bleacher Report’s Zach Kruse writes, he likes what he saw in Winston enough to believe in him in 2018.

Winston’s 2017 season looked shaky at times, but he improved in many key areas, including completion percentage, interception percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating. A breakout season could be coming in 2018. If it does, the Bucs could be one of the NFL’s most improved teams.

Entering his fourth year, Winston will hopefully (finally?) have a running game — with the addition of USC’s Ronald Jones II — that will help reduce some of the stress from wanting to do it all. This will help him and the offense out tremendously.

So if the stars align properly, Winston can see another year of improvements this upcoming season.