Bucs Are Officially Screwed if Tom Brady Gets Hurt

Tom Brady and his pliable body have remained incredibly heathy throughout his NFL career. With the exception of 2008 when he tore his ACL in Week 1, the avocado ice cream-loving quarterback has only missed three quarters because of injury, and that was the 2001 AFC Championship when he sprained his ankle.

That's great news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who signed Brady this offseason to take their team to the next level. The only issue is the person they signed to be their backup quarterback isn't great and Brady will be 43 years old when the 2020 season begins, putting the Bucs in a tough situation if their middle-aged quarterback gets dinged up.

The Bucs announced today that Blaine Gabbert is returning to the team as their backup quarterback after being signed to back up Jameis Winston last year. Gabbert hurt his shoulder in the Bucs' third preseason game in 2019 and was placed on injured reserve. He's never thrown a pass for them.

The last meaningful game Gabbert played in was Dec. 2018, when he went 18-of-29 for 165 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs in a loss against the Colts as the starter for the Titans. In his career, he's 18-35 as a starter with 48 touchdowns, 47 interceptions and 32 fumbles to his credit. Not exactly inspiring stuff.

Obviously whoever backs up Brady is going to be under the microscope, not only because of Brady's presence, but the reality that 40-plus-year-old players don't usually survive long in the NFL. And yes, it's also true that there aren't too many great backup quarterbacks left on the market at this time, so the Bucs went with someone who knows the scheme Bruce Arians wants to run. But the reality is the Bucs' backup plan behind Brady is not good and one big hit could send their season spiraling downward.