Buccaneers list Baker Mayfield ‘OR’ Kyle Trask as starting QB in first unofficial depth chart
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are keeping their starting quarterback plans very close to the chest.
In the team’s first unofficial depth chart ahead of Friday’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Buccaneers listed Baker Mayfield in the first-team slot and Kyle Trask in the second-team slot. However, the team conspicuously added the word “OR” between the two names as well, suggesting that either Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles hasn’t actually picked a starter yet or the Buccaneers simply don’t want to divulge who they’ve picked.
It’s an odd decision that is perhaps also emblematic of the quarterback situation in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are in a precarious position after Tom Brady retired and must now choose between the former 2018 No. 1 pick and a former second-round pick who sat behind Brady for two seasons.
Mayfield obviously has the experience — he’s started 72 games and completed 1,386 passes for 16,288 yards, 102 touchdowns and 64 interceptions in six seasons. Mayfield also won a playoff game in 2020. He signed with the Buccaneers this offseason after a short stint with the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
Trask, meanwhile, has seen almost no action since the Buccaneers drafted him before of his role as backup quarterback for Brady. He’s completed just three of nine career passing attempts for 23 yards — all of which came at the end of Tampa Bay’s 2022 season-ending loss to the Atlanta Falcons. But, Trask does have the in-house experience that Mayfield doesn’t.
Buccaneers QB battle ‘absolutely’ tightened during training camp
Despite earlier reports that suggested Mayfield had the edge in June, Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales recently said Trask has gained on the veteran quarterback. Mayfield has reportedly struggled with interceptions since camp opened — with seven in nine practices, according to Fox Sports’ Greg Auman. Trask, meanwhile, has “been doing a good job of not turning it over,” according to Bowles.
The team has been rotating both quarterbacks with the first-team offense throughout training camp as well — likely another sign Bowles and Canales remain unconvinced about who should start Week 1.
No matter quarterback they pick, the Buccaneers are in a rough spot. Tampa Bay has the worst odds to win the NFC South (+750, per BetMGM) with plenty of holes across the roster. Maybe Mayfield or Trask can change that, but their history suggests otherwise.
