Kyle Trask: Darkhorse In BUCS QB Competition
As the offseason progresses and we get closer to training camp, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback competition between Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield should be heating up. But instead, it's being considered a foregone conclusion and a waste of time.
While many fans and analysts have already placed their bets on Mayfield, it's essential to remember that Trask has the potential to surprise any and everyone writing him off. You don't make it to being a Heisman Trophy finalist without talent. And even though he's not gotten on the field much at the pro level yet, Trask has been in a pretty favorable position to understand the game better than some of his constituents. It'll be up to him to showcase the advantages in training camp.
It seems some fans and writers covering the BUCS have shunned Trask as a legit competitor with Mayfield because the BUCS haven't seen a legit QB competition in fifteen years. The last time there was a question of who was going to be the starter or number two option going into training camp was in 2008 when the candidates were Jeff Garcia(38), two-time Buccaneer Brian Griese(33), Luke McCown(27), 2008 5th Round selection Josh Johnson(22), and failed 3rd Round experiment turned expert QB analyst cartoon Chris Simms(27). Three of those four players had started games in the Pewter and Red before that competition.
Since then, every training camp has opened with a clear pick for the number one spot. Josh Freeman, former 1st Round Pick(17th Overall), took the vast majority of the 1st Team snaps in training camp until he was ousted at the beginning of the 2013 season. In 2014, newly-appointed head coach Lovie Smith named journeyman Josh McCown the starter before the ink was dry on his contract in March of that year. From 2015 through 2019, former #1 Overall Pick Jameis Winston was unquestioned as the "Chosen One" heading into preseason regardless of how the previous season shook out. And most recently, Tom Brady has gone into the BUCS' training camp as the guy.
Fans and writers alike may need to remember what an open competition looks like.
During his first two seasons, Trask had the unique opportunity to learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Tom Brady. Sitting behind Brady with no pressure or responsibility to perform weekly, Trask was able to soak up valuable knowledge and gain insight into what it takes to be successful at the highest level. This invaluable experience could give Trask a leg up in the competition against Mayfield. While no player gets better simply by being around great players, there is the opportunity to learn how to improve. Mayfield hasn't had this kind of learning experience.
We've seen what Mayfield can do with a full training camp and a complement of 1st Team talent around him. We haven't seen Trask with the same opportunity at the NFL level. Because Trask was buried behind a Blaine Gabbert, it's been said he couldn't beat out the former 1st Round flop. Gabbert was a Top 10 misfire from the 2011 Draft who had a forgettable 5-game run with former head coach Bruce Arians as an Arizona Cardinal. In that stretch of games, Gabbert threw 6 TDs and 6 INTs as the team went 2-3. He completed 55.5% of his passes. And that was, by far, the best 5-game stretch of his career. Yet, he "beat out" Trask for the QB2 spot.
That, alone, should illustrate how favoritism and a coach's philosophies can often outweigh talent and limit potential on a roster.
Heading into training camp with a new offensive coordinator should at least limit those factors. Coach Dave Canales has no previous relationship with either Mayfield or Trask.
There's a notion floating around that the highest-paid player should get the most snaps in training camp. Upon seeing this, the thought might be that Baker Mayfield is the first choice because he's made more money. If this narrative is true, it should be Trask getting first crack at the #1 spot since the BUCS have invested three years and $5.5M in him as a 2nd Round Draft Pick. The Team has signed Mayfield for one year on a contract worth $4M. It's reasonable to believe the level Mayfield would have to play to see another year in Tampa is considerably higher and less obtainable than it is for Trask, who is under contract until the 2025 season.
Another reason Trask's potential as a starter has been in doubt is because of questions surrounding his arm strength. While it's fun to see a quarterback try to rifle a ball into the hands of a receiver in double coverage on highlights, it's a terrible practice and an easy way to lose games. BUCS fans should be well aware of this after being at the top of the list for INTs Thrown from 2009-2022(245 INTs). And that's with Brady being pretty safe with the ball for the last three years with 33 interceptions. Trask finished his college career with 69 TDs and 15 INTs. Many of his completions were in tight windows, yet he didn't turn the ball over routinely.
Being able to throw the ball hard or fast is no consolation when interceptions are a factor. Trask has shown that his focus on timing and touch has outweighed the reliance on throwing a fastball in traffic. And I'll take that ALL DAY.
I've seen people point to a few missed throws during Trask's limited playing time as evidence of his throwing power. In particular, an out route when he missed a receiver on the sideline against Atlanta in Week 18 last season. I've seen Brady and Winston miss that exact same pass several times in a BUCS uniform, with a couple of them being backbreaking or game-ending interceptions. And nobody questioned their arm strength at the time or after. Good anticipation and accurate ball placement have always been the preference over 95mph spirals thrown late into a defender's hands.
Tampa Bay's quarterback competition is far from over, and fans should be cautious about counting Trask out too soon. The NFL's history is full of players who were never considered as capable starters until they got a big break. Most recently, the Brock Purdy story last year. While it probably wouldn't be smart to bank on Trask having the same kind of buzz the former "Mr. Irrelevant" had, it's equally not smart to bet on Trask not having a shot at finding himself in the starting role in Tampa and finding success.
It's fair to question what kind of talent Trask could be at the NFL level. But with the limited opportunity he's been given so far, it's wrong to dismiss what he could be.
Here's to Competition.
