The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a solid performance from second-year quarterback Kyle Trask in Saturday night’s preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, as the 2021 second-round pick completed 25 of his 33 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown.
Trask bounced back from a pair of costly turnovers just before halftime to help the Bucs regain the lead in the second half, and engineered a drive in the final minutes that set up the would-be game-winning field goal.
NFL film guru Greg Cosell recently shared his notes from Trask’s outing, and they’re decidedly less rose-colored than many Bucs fans might like:
Trask limited arm strength lacking the velocity to drive the ball, In addition his deep balls showed a tendency at times to lose energy on the back end
Trask is a timing and rhythm pocket QB with above average arm strength but nothing more who needs a clean pocket to be successful, He does not possess second reaction movement ability
Trask well-thrown slot fade on Sterns 19 yard TD: Proper trajectory and touch and precise ball placement; That was Trask’s kind of throw: Defined read, decisive with timing and rhythm based on the route
Geiger 26 yards late in the 3rd quarter was Trask at his best: Route concept (flood) versus coverage (man) defined the read and throw allowing Trask to deliver with timing as soon as he hit back foot on his drop
Trask will have issues working out of contested pockets late in the down, He cannot sit on his back foot and make tough intermediate throws
Cosell obviously knows what he’s looking at, and it’s worth noting that many who questioned the Bucs’ selection of Trask in last year’s draft outlined how his lack of top-end arm strength seemed like an odd fit for Tampa Bay’s vertical-heavy passing game.
Trask still seems like a quarterback that needs a lot of things to go right in order for him to perform at a high level, rather than the kind of passer who can elevate his supporting cast regardless of what’s happening around him.
Thankfully, the Bucs do have a loaded roster, and that’ll still be the case next season, should Trask be tasked with taking over for Tom Brady.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw5aerff6ff182 player_id=none image=https://bucswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=70019]