AP

The Buccaneers believe in quarterback Jameis Winston. They believe in him enough to make the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft a team captain in only his second season.

Via JoeBucsFan.com, coach Dirk Koetter announced on Monday the names of the players who will wear the C. For the offense, it’s Winston and receiver Vincent Jackson. Defensively, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and linebacker Lavonte David will get the honor. The special-teams captain is Russell Shepherd.

The Buccaneers also will designate a weekly captain; for Week One, it’s center Joe Hawley.

For years ago, the Buccaneers found themselves in the middle of an unexpected controversy when quarterback Josh Freeman wasn’t named a captain — and when some wondered whether the guy who counted the votes made a deliberate counting error in an effort to undermine a player who eventually would be jettisoned during the season.

Winston won’t be jettisoned any time soon, if ever. For a team that arguably has never had a true franchise quarterback, Winston is on track to be the guy, and for good reason. He delivered as a rookie, he took the game even more seriously in his second year, and now he’s ready to take the next step in 2016.