Jameis Winston was named the Buccaneers starter just months after he finished his college career at Florida State. But he handled the transition to the NFL smoothly, throwing for more than 4,000 yards and earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. On several occasions he was named the NFL's Rookie of the Week and he was a finalist for the AP Rookie of the Year award, along with winning the NFL's fan-voted Rookie of the Year award.
FEATURE: A LOOK AT WINSTON'S ROOKIE SEASON
While Winston had a successful rookie season, 2015 was still his first season in the NFL and there is more information to absorb than there is time in the day. Now that he has a year under his belt, Winston will begin to take on added responsibilities within the Bucs' offense.
Photos of quarterback Jameis Winston from his rookie season.
"I think with experience and a more firm grasp of the offense, comes added responsibilities," Quarterbacks Coach Mike Bajakian said. "I don't think there is anything earth-shattering about that and it's not like we're letting him call plays or anything. He's at a point now where he can handle more on his plate on the mental side of the games.
"When he got here last year and for much of the early process, it was dedicating so much of our time to learning the offense, learning the procedure and being able to manage the offense. Now we're at a point where he's proficient enough in the offense that we can focus even more on the details of his technique, so everything from his footwork to his release, to again, accuracy. Little things like that are things that we've emphasized – moving in the pocket. All those little details that go into playing the position are now a matter of attention for us and he's done a good job of focusing on that."
Winston will also be moving forward with the majority of last year's historic offense. The Bucs finished fifth in the NFL in total yards per game a year ago, which was their highest finish in team history. Of that unit, 10 of 11 starters return for 2016.
