It’s not often that recent NFL practice-squadders attract much media attention, but, then, it’s not often that a team signs a practice-squad player to preemptively keep him from joining another team.
That was the case for Buccaneers quarterback John Wolford this week, who was elevated to the 53-man roster just as rumors heated up that other teams were looking to sign him.
On Wednesday, November 1, Wolford spoke for the first time since the elevation to the Bucs roster. He is still No. 3 on the team’s depth chart behind Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask, but there is a chance he could leapfrog Trask if Mayfield is injured in-game.
“The Bucs have been good to me this entire time and going through that whole process, they continued to show their interest in me and showed how much they valued me and it feels like a good fit here,” Wolford said after practice, via the Tampa Bay Times. “I feel like I’m adding value and helping the team and potentially long-term plans here. … And my home is in Miami, my mom’s in Tampa, my dad’s in Jacksonville. So that helps, too.”
Could Buccaneers’ John Wolford Leapfrog Trask?
Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield is dealing with an injured knee, and that’s no mere rumor. Coach Todd Bowles has acknowledged it. Should Mayfield need to come out, there is a chance that the Buccaneers will give Wolford the call. He has not excelled in the NFL during his three seasons, all spent with the Rams, but has does have four starts and a 2-2 record under his belt.
The team’s current No. 2, Kyle Trask, still might be the long-term option for the team. He was the Bucs’ second-round pick in 2021, after all. But he has thrown nine NFL passes in his career, and if the Bucs remain in the playoff picture, Wolford would be a safer backup option.
Bowles was asked whether Wolford’s promotion means he could have a different role. Mayfield remains the starter, of course. The only different role possible, really, would be to leapfrog Trask on the depth chart, but that’s still in the realm of Buccaneers rumor.
“I’m sure there was some conversation about it,” Bowles said on Wednesday. “John is valuable to us in the meeting rooms, as well as on the field. With Baker [Mayfield] banged up the past couple weeks, you never want to give one away and struggle to bring somebody in here to have to learn a system. It was more of us protecting what we have, as opposed to anything else.”
No Interest in Rumored Rams Deal
As for Wolford, he was not much interested in going back to Los Angeles despite rumors the Rams wanted him back, and is happy to be able to continue on with the Buccaneers. He is likely to stick on the roster for the remainder of the season.
Perhaps, even, beyond the season. That depends on how things shake out with Trask in the long-term future and Mayfield (a free agent next winter) in the short term. But a future combo of Trask as the starter and Wolford behind him is a possible outcome.
“There’s something attractive about being part of a team,” Wolford said. “You’ll have different roles at different times. And so I like adding value; as a business, you’re supposed to add value. And so in whatever way that I can, I’m trying to be smart and strategic about how I can help the team. So I just see that as my role right now, and I’m happy to fulfill.”
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Buccaneers’ Newly Signed QB Breaks Silence on New Role