Troubled Winslow Gets Biggest TE Contract Ever

Winslow to the Bucs

With the signing of Kellen Winslow Jr., the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have signed the highest profile tight end to be traded since Jeremy Shockey went to the Saints in 2008.  His stats would say he's primed to be one of the best tight ends of all time, and his contract says he's the highest paid TE ever. However he's had a troubled past, and is quite familiar with injury, even of the self-inflicted kind.

By now it's old news that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed the troubled tight end. What's interesting however is the fact that they have made it clear that the tight end position is still their offensive weapon of choice.

Uncertain Future

Winslow has definitely had his share of injuries. He broke his fibula in the second game of his rookie season and missed the remainder of the 2004 season because of it. In 2005, while recovering from that injury, he tore his ACL while "riding" his motorcycle through a community college parking lot. Riding motorcycles in general was a direct violation of the contract he signed with the Cleveland Browns the year before.

Winslow returned in 2006 to emerge as a solid target for then Browns QB Charlie Frye, closing out the year leading the Browns in receptions by a tight end in 2006, and tying former tight end Ozzie Newsome's single season reception record. At the close of the 2006 season, Winslow underwent more surgery to further repair the damaged cartilage sustained in the motorcycle accident. Winslow was selected to the 2008 pro bowl, replacing Antonio Gates (Chargers): this was Winslow's first trip.

2008 was another season filled with injuries for Winslow who missed six starts with shoulder and ankle problems, as well as a bout with staph infection which the Browns tried to hide. In his five years in the league Winslow has played two full seasons that were not hampered by injury. In those two seasons he was statistically the third most productive tight end in the league.

Aside from the injuries, Winslow also had a very inauspicious display of public affection for the "U", by admitting after a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, that he knew then Vol's defensive back Corey Campell was injured, and that he was out there to kill.

Flashes of Brilliance: Can It Yield Memorable Performance?

While Winslow has had some great performances, he has only been in the top five in tight end stats once in his career (2007). That year he caught 82 passes for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns. It's noteworthy that he had a 1000 yard season, only three other tight ends have had 1000 yard seasons (Antonio Gates, Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez). It's also noteworthy that 2007 was among his healthiest seasons.

What does this mean for his potential performance? One thing we do have to take into account is the receiving corp that surrounded Winslow on the Cleveland Browns offense. Specifically in 2007, Braylon Edwards was the go-to-guy, and the only other notable name on the field was Joe Jurevicius, who made a few big plays during the Tampa Bay 2002 Superbowl run. 

We do have to note that Braylon Edwards was number three in the league in 2007 in receptions and yards (80, 1289 respectively) and number two in the league in TD's (16). With that much production, it's obvious there's room for a star receiver and high output from Winslow. If we compare this to the current Bucs' WR roster, there's only one notable star: Antonio Bryant, who put up 84 catches for 1,249 yards. Slightly more catches, slightly less yards, and so slightly less productive than Braylon Edwards.

It is clear there's plenty of room for offensive output on the Bucs roster. With the addition of Winslow, the Bucs seem to be primed for a one-two punch that the Browns had with Edwards and Winslow.

There is one more point to note: the Browns had a very productive season from Jamal Lewis in 2007, who put up 299 carries for 1,303 yards. In 2007, Earnest Graham was the most productive back for the Bucs, putting up 222 carries for 898 yards. In 2008 Warrick Dunn was the proud rushing leader with 186 carries for 786 yards. He was clearly much less productive than Graham. 

What does this mean for Winslow?  Probably nothing, but the potential is there for Bryant and Winslow to carry the team offensively, and much will be expected of Winslow, especially considering Jerramy Stevens led the TE position in 2008 with 35 receptions for 385 yards.

Keys to Success

In order for Winslow to make it worth what the Bucs spent to get and resign him, Winslow will have to stay injury free—plain and simple. If he can put off motorcycle tricks for a few more years, perhaps we'll see the best of what he has to offer in 2009 and beyond. Of course, there's the major question of who will throw to him in 2009 and beyond.