TAMPA — If Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston is named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, he’ll have to beat out one of the most impressive first-year classes in recent memory.
In taking every snap for the Bucs, Winston has thrown for 3,717 yards and 22 touchdowns while helping to triple Tampa Bay’s win total from two to six. He has rebounded from a sluggish start to emerge as a 21-year-old team leader, but Winston faces stiff competition for the award, which is voted on by a 50-member media panel assembled by the Associated Press.
“He’s been everything you want a franchise quarterback to be,’’ Bucs coach Lovie Smith said of the No.