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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are predicted to part ways with a Super Bowl champion before the start of the season.
As predicted Scott Reynolds of The Pewter Report in his 53-man roster projection, he expects the Buccaneers to cut quarterback John Wolford and keep Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask as the two quarterbacks. Reynolds does predict that Tampa Bay will bring back Wolford on the practice squad.
“Unless he absolutely craters in the preseason, the expectation is that Kyle Trask, who is in a contract year, will once again be Baker Mayfield’s backup,” writes Reynolds. “The Bucs start the season with two quarterbacks and once again place John Wolford, who has struggled with interceptions despite having a firm grasp of the offense from his three years with the Los Angeles Rams, on the practice squad.”
John Wolford Previously Cut by Buccaneers Last Season
The 28-year-old Wolford is entering his second season with the Buccaneers. Wolford has actually already been released prior to final roster cutdowns, with Tampa Bay cutting the veteran quarterback before the start of the season last year. However, he signed with the practice squad before eventually being brought up to the active roster during the season.
The Wake Forest alum is best known for his tenure with the Los Angeles Rams, spending four seasons as their backup quarterback. Not only did he win a Super Bowl as Matthew Stafford’s backup during the 2021 season, he also saw action during his time in Los Angeles, starting four games with the Rams, including their playoff game during the 2020 season. The Rams would win Wolford’s playoff start, but it’s worth noting that he exited the game during the first quarter due to an injury.
Todd Bowles Gives Edge to Kyle Trask Over John Wolford
If Wolford wants to cement a spot on the 53-man roster, he’ll have to beat out Trask, who served as the primary backup to Mayfield last season. Trask will start the preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, with Wolford following him after.
Head coach Todd Bowles actually recently gave the edge to Trask over Wolford.
“You’ve seen how they play, you’ve seen how they practice,” Bowles said in a video posted to X by Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud. “Right now, Kyle’s ahead by a little bit, but we still gotta play some games.”
Wolford has more experience than Trask, with the latter appearing in just three career games with zero starts. Trask has completed just 3-of-10 passes during his career. By comparison, Wolford has appeared in seven games with four starts, not including his postseason start during the 2020 season. Wolford holds career totals of one touchdown against five interceptions with a 58.7% completion rate and a 59.2 passer rating.
With that being said, Trask is a former second-round draft pick of the organization. He was drafted back in 2021 with the expectation he’d succeed Tom Brady as the franchise quarterback. Obviously, that has yet to come to fruition after Trask lost to Mayfield for the starting quarterback job during last year’s training camp.
However, the Buccaneers have obviously made an investment in Trask and Wolford hasn’t exactly impressed during his limited NFL action. Expect Wolford to be cut — only to be brought back on the practice squad — prior to the start of the season.
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