An underrated storyline for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason concerns the situation at quarterback. Baker Mayfield isn't in any danger, rather the mystery is what happens behind him -- or God forbid if something happens to him during the season.
Tampa Bay has swapped out starters over the last few years, but Kyle Trask has been a mainstay as the team's backup. He was drafted with the last pick of the second round back in 2021, but hasn't made much of an impact since.
Playing behind Tom Brady for the first two years of your career will do that, but Baker Mayfield's arrival and success with Tampa Bay has firmly pushed Trask into a backup-only role. It's one that we weren't sure he'd hold onto this offseason, as he was at the end of his rookie contract and didn't really have a place.
Thanks to a contractual loophole, Trask is back, and he's seemingly going to get a shot he's been waiting four years to get.
Todd Bowles defends Kyle Trask and lays out a timeline for him to prove himself
While speaking with the media at minicamp, head coach Todd Bowles commented on criticism that Trask has faced recently due to a lack of snaps and tried to smooth things over. He didn't coddle his backup, but did outline a clear timeline for him to prove himself this offseason.
"It’s hard to play him when you’ve had two bona fide starters ahead of him since he’s been here. Just the more time he gets, the more confidence he gets," Bowles said. "Preseason will be big for him, getting the reps down – we’ll take a look at him there, but he’s been fine so far."
Trask doesn't appear to be in danger of losing his roster spot, but we've reached a point in his development where that's not an unfair question to ask.
He could have left this offseason, but opted not to, with the same going for Tampa Bay. Rather than let him walk and sign a veteran backup, the Bucs are trusting Trask to be the guy they need him to be if the worst-case scenario happens and Baker misses time with an injury.
We still have a long road before we get to Week 1, though. Trask is back but he'll need to prove himself in the preseason if he wants to beat out Michael Pratt for the backup role. Pratt was someone who the Bucs had on their radar late in the 2024 NFL Draft and poached from the Packers after they let him go not long after.
The question is how wide is the gap between Trask and Pratt, something that should get answered in a few months. For now, despite all of the outside criticism it sounds like Trask has the right backing in the Bucs locker room.
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