Don’t expect starters to play for Buccaneers against Titans

For the most part, fans missed out on witnessing Tom Brady’s first year as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback in 2020. Those hoping to see him play for their team in person on Saturday may be disappointed to learn the greatest quarterback of all time will likely do more work with Robert Hainsey on the sideline than he will on the field of play.

That, according to Bucs head coach Bruce Arians who told media on Monday when he was asked Tom Brady would be playing Saturday against the Tennessee Titans,

“No, I think looking at the two practices, I know how they will go physicality-wise. We probably won’t play any starters.”

Arians not only answered the question with his trademark honesty but expanded the response to ‘starters’. Not just Brady.

As disappointing as it might be for ticket holders, the approach makes a lot of sense. The Bucs and Titans will practice against each other leading up to the game, so neither team will be short on work.

Of course, they also won’t be short on opportunities for injuries to happen, and that’s what this is really all about.

Playing your starters in the game after a week’s worth of contact at practice against another NFL team is just tempting football fate. Even though the quarterbacks are still off-limits during these sessions, there’s little reason to justify throwing veterans like Brady and Ryan Tannehill to the proverbial wolves here.

Instead, Bucs fans will get plenty of Blaine Gabbert, some Kyle Trask and Ryan Griffin (though in which order is certainly going to be discussed this week), and they’ll even get some more K.J. Britt and Jaelon Darden, two of the more exciting rookies not named Trask or Joe Tryon.

Plenty of reason to watch still, but not the level of greatness Bucs fans will see in the regular season, or even in Week 3 of the preseason for that matter.

For more on this story and all things Buccaneers, check me out with my co-host James Yarcho on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!