Winston was initially fearful of the domino effect former head coach Lovie Smith's firing could potentially have on his development, but was relieved when former offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was tabbed for the job, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Analysis:

Winston described his first reaction to the sudden news of Smith's firing as fearful, considering that there was a strong chance at the time that the entire offensive staff could have been overhauled as well. The 2015 first-round pick's biggest worry stemmed from what he'd heard about the struggles first-year quarterbacks typically encountered when having to start over with a new system and coaching staff in their sophomore seasons. However, the hiring of last year's offensive coordinator put many of those concerns to rest. "I'm excited that coach Koetter is here," Winston said. "I was kind of down in the dumps because I was like what quarterback has been successful after they've lost their offensive coordinator, quarterback coach and head coach in the same year? I was just like, 'we're going through the whole process again.'" Winston set a franchise rookie record in 2015 by passing for 4,042 yards with 22 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. With the continuity that the ascension of Koetter helps maintain -- along with the retention of Doug Martin and the expected improvement of Mike Evans -- Winston could be primed for a breakout sophomore season in 2016.