Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask Buccaneers QB competition footage leaves a lot to be desired
The retirement of Tom Brady has left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with two options at quarterback for the 2023 season: 2018 No. 1 overall pick turned journeyman Baker Mayfield and 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has declined to name a starter, saying it’s an open competition between Mayfield and Trask. Both are receiving an equal amount of first-team reps, looking to stand out above the other. Through a few non-padded practices during OTAs, it looks like Bowles and the Buccaneers will have their hands full in finding a standout as footage of throws from Mayfield and Trask have emerged.
To be fair, it’s the second week of OTAs. Additionally, Tampa Bay is running a new system following the dismissal of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich after the 2022 season, in which the Buccaneers finished 25th in points per game (18.4). Dave Canales, who spent 12 years as an assistant on Pete Carroll’s staff with the Seattle Seahawks, is now in charge and implementing a new system — one that Trask is very excited about.
“Just how creative the offense is,” Trask said Tuesday, via Buccaneers.com. “I think everybody has really bought into the scheme and I am just really looking forward to seeing how it looks versus a defense. You see what they did in Seattle with Geno [Smith] and the weapons they had. I think with our weapons we are due for some really explosive plays.”
Can Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask be the next Geno Smith for Buccaneers?
The Buccaneers would certainly take a Smith-like breakout from Trask, or Mayfield, the presumed favorite heading into the summer. Mayfield signed a one-year deal worth $4 million guaranteed coming off a season in which he started 10 games for the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. He threw for 2,163 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 60.0% passing.
Speaking with reporters after the first day of OTAs last Tuesday, Mayfield talked about getting the timing down with his receiving corps, which includes Pro Bowlers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
“Just getting timing down,” Mayfield said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “Not just for me and the quarterbacks but for everybody. Getting the system down. Getting the fundamentals down and that was the best part about how [Canales] wanted to come in and install this offense. Just really take it slow and make sure we have all the details and the foundation of what we want to be. Everybody was on the same page, so I think that’s been the best part of what we’ve done up to this point, and now it’s prepare ourselves to be ready to compete.
“When you get the live bullets flying for the first time, a lot of times it can seem a little messy, especially with the younger guys for the first time. But it was very organized. Limited pre-snap penalties. There’s always room for improvement for the first day, [but] because of how [Canales] installs the offense, I think it was pretty good.”