NFL Notes: Buccaneers, Cowboys, Roster Bubble

Buccaneers

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht wouldn’t guarantee Jameis Winston the starting job once he returns to the team after serving his three-game suspension.

“I don’t think it would be fair to anybody right now to just lay out that plan and to say definitively what it’s going to be,” Licht said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “I think, you know, the circumstances at hand at that point in the season, where we’re at, how Ryan [Fitzpatrick is] playing, you know, it’s a short week. There’s a lot of factors at play there. So, you know, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Griffin, whoever it is is playing lights out, I don’t think it’s fair right now just to say, ‘Yes, automatically, [Jameis] is going to be the guy.’ Now, he may be. Dirk [Koetter] and I, Dirk in particular, he’s got some time to think about that.”

Bucs HC Dirk Koetter doesn’t have an explanation for second-round RB Ronald Jones‘ poor preseason.

“I can’t give you a good answer for it,” Koetter said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “I saw it in practice. But we weren’t able to get it going during the game for whatever reason. When his runs came up, we didn’t block them very well, number one, and he wasn’t able to do much with it on his own. I don’t have a good answer for you. Of course, I haven’t seen the tape from [Thursday] but it didn’t look pretty from where I saw it. Again, when you have bad running plays, rarely is it one guy’s fault. Sometimes it is, but rarely. It’s a combination of things. I know from Ronald’s standpoint, it’s not at all from lack of effort, or from him not knowing what he’s doing. Okay? So I know there’s been a little undercurrent out there about him not knowing the playbook and I want to make sure I’m real clear on that. That is not an issue.”

Cowboys

• Cowboys VP Stephen Jones said that TE Rico Gathers has “got a good shot” of making the roster. (Jon Machota)
• Brandon George reports that the Cowboys plan for newly acquired OL Parker Ehinger is to have him primarily serve as a backup guard.
• George says that the Cowboys had him as a fifth-round pick on their draft board two years ago.

Roster Bubble

• Ian Rapoport reports that some notable players currently on the roster include Broncos QB Paxton Lynch, Colts DL John Simon, Dolphins CB Tony Lippett and Lions RB Ameer Abdullah.