Buccaneers: Key takeaways from 2021 preseason opener
By Rob Leeds
The decent performances for the Buccaneers
Kyle Trask
Don’t let Trask’s box score or college mislead you. 4/15 is a tough stat line to stomach, but Trask doesn’t have to be accurate now. The accuracy will come as the rookie quarterback gets more playtime, but the one thing you can’t teach is arm strength.
Fortunately for Trask’s future in the NFL, arm strength didn’t seem to be an issue. Trask was putting the ball deep downfield with ease, actually overthrowing his receivers. If his receivers could actually catch the ball, Trask could’ve easily finished with over 100 yards passing in the game and several extremely impressive completions.
Trask looked comfortable in the pocket and showed off a bit more mobility than Brady or Gabbert, which should start relieving some concerns about his future when combined with his deep ball and decision-making last night.
Tanner Hudson
Hudson led the team in receptions and receiving yards, but it is hard to put him anywhere over a decent for his performance. Hudson has not been good so far during camp, can’t block, and really only pops during the preseason.
Teams need to be wary of these August superstars, and Hudson is still a genuine candidate to get cut in a few weeks, regardless of his performances in the coming games.
Elijah Ponder
It was only against depth players, but Ponder was doing a great job of creating penetration against the offensive line and getting to the quarterback. The Bucs don’t have a spot for him in their front seven for now, but Ponder will be a great player to keep on the practice squad to use on a rainy day.