It's Put Up or Shut Up Time for Jameis Winston

If Bruce Arians can't fix Jameis Winston, nobody can. 

The new Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach was Peyton Manning's quarterbacks coach during the first three seasons of Manning's career in Indianapolis. He spent eight years grooming and developing Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. He played a pivotal role in launching Andrew Luck's career back in Indy in 2012. And he even got a career year out of a 35-year-old Carson Palmer with the Cardinals in 2015. 

The man is a quarterback sage, and now he's overseeing the most critical season of Winston's career. 

The 2015 No. 1 overall draft pick has turned the ball over 76 times in 56 career games. Only Roethlisberger has thrown more interceptions the last four years, but Big Ben has just one more pick and 24 more touchdown passes than Winston during that stretch. Winston has won just 21 of 54 career starts and ranks in the bottom 10 among qualified quarterbacks in both completion percentage and passer rating since coming into the league four years ago. 

Now here he is in a $20.9 million option year. If he finally puts it together, he'll likely earn a starting job along with either a lucrative long-term contract or the franchise tag. If he can't cut down on his mistakes and can't become more consistent, he might be left seeking a backup job on the open market in 2020. 

For what it's worth, Arians started researching Winston's tendencies as soon as he came on the job, and he, quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich seem confident they can get Winston on track. 

"I've studied a bunch of them," Arians said in February regarding throws from Winston's first four seasons, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "Clyde has watched every throw he's made since his rookie year and Byron, too. And it's like you're trying to look safeties off too long and your feet are crossed. So much of it is mechanical."

And when Arians finally saw his franchise quarterback throw in practice in April, he was impressed. 

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

"It's amazing. I mean, he was getting the third and fourth reads quickly today," he said at the time, according to Stroud. "He was off his first read, and that was not the easiest secondary to read. There was a lot of movement from quarters, to single high to man. I was extremely pleased with that part of it. I don't think the defense got their hands on any of his (passes). That last throw, that was the fifth read in that play and he was on it so fast and he could tell me why. It's one thing to throw a completion, but tell me why you did it. That's nice."

Winston's physique has also been a hot topic over the years, but he's obviously under the impression that more bulk will benefit him on the field. After playing at a listed weight of 231 pounds, he says he's making dramatic body changes this offseason. 

"I'm going to play bigger this year,'' Winston said in March, according to Stroud. "I'm about 250. Yeah. A solid 250. It's just about hydration and being at the peak body, too."

Much of Winston's career has been defined by questions about his off-field transgressions. He'll be on thin ice for years to come and can't afford another problem in his personal life, but it appears both the team and its fanbase are willing to give him the opportunity to regain their trust. And Winston—who continues to work with and guide children and is himself a new father—does at least seem to have a fresh perspective on life. 

Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Still, new mechanics, a highly reputable new coaching staff, a new off-field reputation and even a new-look body won't help Winston's cause if he continues to average more than one interception per start. 

That has to change, and neither Arians nor Christensen have shied away from stating so publicly. 

The good news is, as Christensen noted to Albert Breer of The MMQB in June, it's not unprecedented for a quarterback to recover from an early-career turnover habit. Luck threw 55 interceptions in his first four seasons, Roethlisberger, Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford threw 54 apiece and Manning threw 81. His brother Eli threw 64 in his first four years, Palmer threw 63, Andy Dalton threw 66 and Kurt Warner threw 53. 

"Your first four years, you throw a bunch of interceptions," Christensen told Breer. "Almost all of them did."

The standards have changed as pick rates have plummeted in recent years, but Winston was 21 years old when he was drafted, and he was thrown to the wolves with only a so-so supporting cast from the get-go. 

It's too early to call him a bust, especially considering that he's a naturally aggressive passer who suits Arians' offense and might finally have the support he needs. 

One extremely promising sign: Even before that support arrived in January, Winston performed well down the stretch last season. It was a rocky year altogether, but after he regained his starting job in November, he finished his fourth campaign with 13 touchdown passes to four interceptions, a 64.4 completion percentage and a 100.1 passer rating in seven games. 

He quietly generated the best completion rate and QBR of his career in 2018, and if he can build on that with a strong receiving corps and a legendary coach this offseason, Winston could finally live up to his four-year-old predraft hype. 

"He's got all the talent in the world," Arians said in February, per Stroud, "so why can't he be successful?"

One way or another, we're about to find out.

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon