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Lovie Smith: Jameis Winston 'ready to take the reins'

The least-shocking news of the day came out of Tampa Bay.

"Jameis Winston is our starting quarterback. He'll be taking first-team reps tomorrow," Smith said of the Bucs' first practice of training camp. "We brought him in here to be our quarterback."

The quote is noteworthy only because it's the first time Smith has bluntly stated Winston would be the starter.

During offseason workouts and minicamp Winston didn't take all the first-team reps, with Smith saying the rookie needed to "earn" the job.

Winston apparently did just that.

"All this talk about Jameis needing a mentor... Jameis doesn't need a mentor," he said, per NFL Media's Jeff Darlington. "He's ready to take the reins and go with it."

The Bucs hope Winston takes those reins and propels Tampa out of the basement of the NFC South.

The latest Around The NFL Podcast discusses Tom Brady's lawsuit and debates which veteran players are most likely to be cut.

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