The Buccaneers have quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask splitting reps with the first team during OTAs and head coach Todd Bowles didn’t share any thoughts about how long that will remain the case at a Tuesday press conference.
Bowles said that it’s difficult to gauge how the quarterbacks fare “under pressure” because there’s no hitting during OTAs, minicamp, or training camp, so that evaluation has to take a back seat to other things on the practice field. Bowles outlined some of the things that the team will be focusing on as they work toward making someone No. 1 on the depth chart.
“It’s the grasp of the offense, it’s the reading of the defense,” Bowles said. “It’s not necessarily making the big play, but the right play. Then it comes down to moxie, it comes down to intelligence. In-game intelligence and adjustments and fits and film work. You can see who the team galvanizes around and who’s ready to play the first game and you kinda make a decision from there. It’s constant analyzation. Whether it’s small or whether it’s big, it’s constant analysis from now up until we name a starter.”
Mayfield has a big edge in experience over Trask and Bowles has complimented his moxie since he signed with the team, which may point in the direction of Mayfield being the starter even if the team isn’t ready to say anything on that front.