The Tampa Bay Buccaneers new offensive coordinator Dave Canales took a straightforward approach to the quarterback competition between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.
The former No. 1 pick of the league, Mayfield was signed by the Bucs in free agency on a one-year deal and threw for more than 16,000 yards and 100 touchdowns throughout his career.
The former second-round pick of the Bucs in 2021, Trask played in just two games throughout his first two seasons with the franchise and went 3-of-9 passing for 23 yards during last year’s regular-season finale.
Why the Bucs OC is trying to create a QB competition between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask?
The Bucs’ new offensive coordinator Dave Canales is adamant about holding a quarterback competition between Mayfield and Trask during training camp and the preseason to decide the team’s QB1 in the games starting in September.
While talking about the competition on Wednesday, Canales said they don’t urgently need a starting quarterback with some veteran presence at both sides of the scrimmage.
“I don’t think we need to rush to make any decisions. Wait as long as you can, as long as possible. Our offense and defense, they don’t need us to name a starter. Trust me. We’ve got studs up front on the offensive line and a veteran presence. We’ve got a veteran presence at the wide receiver position. We’ve got a really good group of backs there”, he said.
The OC previously performed the duty of Seahawks QB coach and shared the experience of holding a competition between Geno Smith and Drew Lock over there.
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“I think, philosophically, for me coming from Seattle, best guy gets the job,” Canales said. “You saw it happened last year. First-hand. It was Geno Smith, it was Drew Lock, and it was a true competition. You got a guy who hadn’t played in a long time (Smith). You got a guy who had some pretty bad experiences in the recent past with Drew. And so for me, it’s a win-win when you create a competition”, he added.
Dave stated the reason behind his approach saying determining a starting QB might demotivate the backup QB, however, holding a competition will allow both of them to give their best on the field to get inked as a starter.
“Here’s why. If you name a starter today, the backup guy starts thinking like a backup, OK? But if you say, ‘This is a competition,’ we’re going to allow us to go into the preseason, let them show us they can manage to get us into the right play. They can take care of the ball. That’s going to be the determining factor, really, is who takes care of the ball. And then the bonus is, now who pushes it downfield?”, the Bucs offensive coordinator further said.
It remains to be seen who will come out on top in the quarterback competition, but the Buccaneers‘ offensive coordinator’s approach is definitely laudable. Fans may be eager to see who will be named the QB1 when the dust settles.
Regardless of who ultimately earns the starting role, the Bucs’ post-Tom Brady era is shaping up to be an exciting one with two talented quarterbacks vying for the top spot.
