The Buccaneers haven't named a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Bears, but "all signs point to" Ryan Fitzpatrick retaining the gig over Winston, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Winston is eligible to rejoin Tampa Bay this week after completing his three-game suspension, but the Buccaneers may not officially add him to their 53-man roster until Friday after they were granted a three-day exemption from the commissioner's office. It appears that activating Winston is merely a formality at this point, but once that happens, head coach Dirk Koetter may not immediately announce a starter for Week 4. Regardless of when a decision is made on that front, it's difficult to see Koetter making a switch, given that Fitzpatrick has completed 70.2 percent of his throws and leads all qualified passers with 11.1 yards per attempt while guiding Tampa Bay to a 2-1 record against a trio of 2017 playoff teams. Further hurting Winston's case is the fact that he hasn't practiced with the team in 28 days, which looms larger with the Buccaneers on a short week following their Monday night loss to Pittsburgh. Even if he's bypassed for the starting nod Sunday, Winston could warrant consideration for the No. 1 gig in the Buccaneers' subsequent game Oct. 14 against the Falcons, as he would have the benefit of added practice time with the team on bye in Week 5.