Jameis Winston Shut Down 'Several Weeks' with Shoulder Injury

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter announced the team will shut down quarterback Jameis Winston for "several weeks" due to his shoulder issues.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times first reported word of the Buccaneers' plans.

Winston is dealing with an "AC joint sprain and a rear deltoid issue" and had both X-rays and an MRI on his shoulder after Sunday's 30-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Winston didn't play in the second half after reaggravating the injury, which also knocked him out of action in the team's Week 6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Winston said after the game that doctors made the decision to sit him down, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network:

The Bucs, in turn, have struggled, going 0-4 since Winston injured his shoulder in Week 6. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk thinks there is reason to be concerned no matter how seriously Winston is injured: 

Winston's continued injury saga capped off a bizarre Sunday for the quarterback, which started with an odd pregame speech: 

He also poked Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the sidelines, which prompted a confrontation between the two teams and led to a Mike Evans cheap shot on Lattimore.

With Winston out, Ryan Fitzpatrick will assume the starting role. The veteran has appeared in three games for the Bucs this season, throwing for 358 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 62.5 percent of his passes.