It looks like the Buccaneers could start to move away from the lunacy that is Blaine Gabbert as a starter.
Day one of the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine should leave Buccaneers fans feeling great. After a few weeks of bad news on a far too consistent basis, it looks like Tampa should be in position to salvage a difficult offseason on the free agent front.
To make matters even better, it seems like the Bucs are at least warming up to the correct option on how to handle the void at quarterback.
After taking Kyle Trask in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, it looked like he would spend another year on the bench if Tom Brady came back in 2022, but then the Buccaneers started to posture as if Blaine Gabbert could be their next starter in the post-Brady iteration of the team.
While no one is certain as to who will be the starter in 2022 and what moves the Bucs will make, Bruce Arians has at least made the obvious clear: Kyle Trask will be in competition for the starting role.
Bucs coach Bruce Arians says Kyle Trask would get a legit shot to win the starting job in training camp.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) March 1, 2022
Well, duh. Why has it taken the Buccaneers over two weeks to say this? Anything other than this statement would start to cause some questions about why the Bucs would take a quarterback so early if they didn’t intend to use him after Brady retired.
This is great news for the Buccaneers because Trask starting looks like the best option by a mile for now.
Gabbert would bore fans to tears, the free agent market is nothing special, most trade options are completely unrealistic, and the draft is a black hole at the quarterback position.
With so few options at hand, giving Trask a chance to win the role was always the only path forward. Trask starting gives the Buccaneers their best opportunity to move forward after Brady. Either Trask wins and save the Bucs money or he loses and earns a stellar draft pick.
However, Trask fans should hold their horses before they start ordering a bunch of number two jerseys. An outright competition would absolutely go far more in Gabbert’s favor than Trask’s.
Even a fair competition would benefit the veteran who receives inexplicable love from Bruce Arians. Gabbert still has a better arm and more NFL experience for the upcoming battle, and smart money is on him winning the job, even if that is worse for the team’s growth.
Kyle Trask still has a very long road ahead to solidifying himself as the starter for the Buccaneers, but a statement like this from the head coach keeps that dream alive for now.
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