Getty Baker Mayfield is fighting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback spot.
With Baker Mayfield’s status as a former No. 1 pick, there was reasonable speculation that the quarterback would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB1 when Week 1 rolled around. Yet, the latest NFL rumors has Kyle Trask posing a challenge to Mayfield as the next Bucs starting quarterback. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Trask has “come on strong” during the start of training camp.
“Here’s the sense on the Mayfield-Trask battle: Mayfield has held much of the momentum,” Fowler wrote on August 4, 2023. “He has command of the offense and is considered better-suited to run a Dave Canales offense featuring more play-action and throws on the move.
“But Trask has come on strong in recent days, deepening the intrigue. This battle needs much more time to play out, and nobody seems in a rush to name a starter. The Bucs have been impressed with Trask’s improved mobility, to be sure.”
Todd Bowles on Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Competition: ‘It Has Been Tight’
From @SportsCenter with @sagesteele…an update on the Bucs’ quarterback competition. Hear how Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask performed today and what each of them had to say about competing for the starting job…
Tampa Bay marks Mayfield’s fourth team in three seasons and realistically could represent the veteran’s last chance to establish himself as a longterm NFL starting quarterback. The Buccaneers have flexibility at the position as the team signed Mayfield to a one-year, $4 million contract which in no way guarantees him the starting quarterback gig.
Mayfield is hoping that Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales can help his career as he did with Geno Smith in Seattle during the 2022 season. Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles described the race between Trask and Mayfield as “tight.”
“Well, it has been tight,” Bowles said during an August 2 press conference. “That is a good thing obviously. You want players to compete for a spot.
“You don’t want anyone being given a post. You want to earn your spot every year. Both guys are having a healthy competition and we are just looking forward to the games.”
Baker Mayfield on Competition vs. Kyle Trask: ‘It’s Great for Everybody’
#Bucs QBs Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask showing their mobility during this rep.
To his credit, Mayfield has not shied away from the competition labeling the daily battle as “great for everybody.” There is little advantage for the Buccaneers to name a starting quarterback until Week 1 nears. The prolonged competition is only going to make Trask and Mayfield continue to improve.
“It’s great for everybody, to be honest with you,” Mayfield told reporters on August 3. “When the quarterback room is having success, it shows what this offense can be capable of. We’re distributors within this system – just getting the ball out, it’s not like we’re trying to hone in on one guy.
“Yeah, there will be specific plays where we want to get a guy open, but for right now it’s taking what the defense gives you. The past few days, yeah, Kyle [Trask] and John [Wolford] have had great practices of just doing that – going through the system, getting the ball out and making the reads.
“I think people are starting to see what we’re going to be capable of, and obviously, as we get used to pads more and more, the run game will get going as well. It’s just slowly coming together.”