Tag: Kyle Trask

49ers may face Buccaneers QB making 1st-career start

Baker Mayfield missed the first two practices of the week for the Buccaneers.

The San Francisco 49ers may not be the most banged up team when they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.

While the 49ers’ practice participation report features a slew of names, Tampa Bay’s is also crowded and includes star wide receiver Mike Evans. Their other star WR, Chris Godwin, is already on IR for the season because of an ankle injury.

Most notable on Tampa Bay’s participation reports from Wednesday and Thursday was the inclusion of quarterback Baker Mayfield. He’s dealing with a toe injury that kept him out of both of the Buccaneers’ practices to start the week.

Mayfield on Wednesday told Bucs reporters in a press conference he’s “a little sore,” but also noted he expects to play Sunday.

If Mayfield is unable to go, the Buccaneers would turn to third-year signal caller Kyle Trask for his first-career start.

Trask was a second-round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2018 draft out of Florida. Across three seasons he has played in four games and thrown only 10 passes. He’s 3-for-10 for 22 yards. His only snaps this season came in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders when he took the two kneel downs to close out a 37-20 Buccaneers win.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would surely love to avoid Mayfield, a player he said he wasn’t eager to face in the NFC championship game last season. Mayfield is even better this year than he was a season ago. He’s leading the NFL with 23 touchdown passes while completing 71.4 percent of his throws and averaging a career-best 7.6 yards per attempt.

Sunday’s game is one the 49ers need badly. It becomes an even bigger must-win if they’re facing a first-time starting quarterback.

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Rookie QB Michael Pratt poses as an exciting option for Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback position has seen some wild ups and downs in the last decade but they have a stable group now.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback position has seen some wild ups and downs in the last decade. Some lows have included Mike Glennon and Josh Freeman, but the highs will never be higher than Tom Brady. The team has recently won a Super Bowl and has that momentum in its sails.

They hope the current quarterback situation can give the same results.

The team signed Baker Mayfield for the long term after his successful 2023 campaign, which included a divisional title. They also have former second-round pick Kyle Trask in their back pocket. To top things off, they have now added a highly talented UDFA quarterback, Michael Pratt.

Pratt played his collegiate career at Tulane, where he started as a true freshman. His first start came on the road in Norman, Oklahoma. Throughout his career, he showed a talented arm, the ability to pick up extra yards with his feet, and the ability to make sound decisions.

While we haven’t seen enough of Trask to make a decision about him, Pratt presents himself as an interesting alternative.

Bucs sail past Dolphins 24-14

The Buccaneers handily defeat the Miami Dolphins in their 2024 preseason finale.

The Buccaneers end the 2024 preseason on a high note, routing the Miami Dolphins 24-14. Tampa Bay’s starters played just one drive, but from the top to the bottom of the depth chart, the Bucs kept total control of the game and gave themselves some momentum heading into the regular season.

The Bucs opened the game with their starting offense on the field, marching down the field and facing just one third down. The biggest play of the drive came off a 28-yard bomb from Baker Mayfield to rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan:

McMillan’s catch set up a four-yard Rachaad White touchdown, giving the Bucs a 7-0 lead that they would not give up for the rest of the game.

Tampa Bay’s defensive starters similarly saw limited action, holding Miami’s offense to a three-and-out on its first drive. On third and one, Vita Vea demolished Dolphins center Jack Driscoll, setting up a tackle for a loss by Vi Jones and K.J. Britt:

Though the Bucs gave their starters a taste of real action, most of Miami’s Week 1 roster was not dressed to play. By the middle of the first quarter, there was not a first-string player on the field for either team.

The Bucs and Dolphins traded punts for most of what remained of the first quarter until Miami failed to convert a fourth down at the Tampa Bay 43-yard line just before the start of the second quarter. The Bucs picked up a few yards for a 50-yard field goal attempt that Chase McLoughlin successfully converted. It was just his second successful field goal of the preseason.

On the following Dolphins drive, the Bucs appeared to score a defensive touchdown off an Earnest Brown sack-fumble recovered by linebacker Antoine Grier Jr. However, on replay the call was overturned as an incomplete pass.

Evidently unsatisfied with points taken off the board, Tampa Bay’s offense put together a 47-yard touchdown drive that included a fourth-down conversion pass from Kyle Trask to undrafted rookie WR Kameron Johnson. The Bucs scored a few plays later when Trask found WR Ryan Miller in the corner of the endzone on a 10-yard pass.

The Dolphins responded in kind on the following drive. Driving 70 yards down the field, QB Skylar Thompson and the Miami offense found its first points off a 20-yard touchdown reception by TE Hayden Rucci. The first half ended with the Bucs up 17-7.

In the second half, the Dolphins continued their efforts to get back into the game, putting together a 76-yard touchdown drive that got them within three points of Tampa Bay. The Bucs quickly stamped out any hopes of a Miami comeback by scoring on the next drive, with Trask finding TE Tanner Knue in the endzone on fourth and goal:

Neither team would score for the rest of the game. Tampa Bay all but ended the game when Antonio Grier Jr. intercepted a Skylar Thompson pass with just under three minutes left in the game:

With the win over Miami, the Bucs end the 2024 preseason with a 2-1 record. After Baker Mayfield lone drive, Kyle Trask led the Bucs offense, completing 17 of 24 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Bucky Irving led the Bucs with 26 yards rushing for a 4.3 yard per attempt average.

The Dolphins actually outgained the Bucs offensively 320 yards to 290. However, Miami committed eight penalties to Tampa Bay’s five and allowed a sack and an interception while collecting none of their own.

The Bucs are now on the straightaway to their season opener against the Washington Commanders. While the preseason only provided a glimmer of what the Bucs will look like in the regular season, what they did show in this preseason finale appeared not far removed from where they left off in last year’s playoffs.

Mac Jones pushes forward in Jaguars’ 20-7 preseason win over Bucs

Mac Jones pushes forward in Jaguars’ 20-7 preseason win over Bucs

There were more combined punt yards (553) than offensive yards (542) in Jacksonville’s 20-7 victory over Tampa Bay on Saturday night, a feat that perhaps should have been expected as the Jaguars and Buccaneers sat their starters for Week 2 of the 2024 preseason.

Mac Jones started at quarterback for the Jaguars with Trevor Lawrence and most of the first-team offense sidelined following joint practices with the Buccaneers this week.

In over a half of playing time, Jones completed 16-of-23 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns, with long scoring throws to wide receivers Parker Washington in the second quarter and Brevin Easton in the fourth.

Jacksonville went 8-of-11 on third down with Jones behind center, with only two failed conversions in his half as a starter. One was dropped by wide receiver Elijah Cooks on a crossing route, well past the line to gain and near midfield.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson complimented Jones for his showing during the game. His competition for Jacksonville’s backup quarterback role, C.J. Beathard, played in the second half but exited early with a groin injury, leading to Jones’ reinsertion and second score of the night.

“I think he’s doing some good things. He’s staying composed,” Pederson said of Jones during an in-game interview with Brent Martineau of Action Jax Sports.

“We missed a big third down that would have been great to get but I think he’s seeing the field, he’s making good strong accurate throws and I believe he’s playing well.”

Beathard went 5-of-7 for 40 yards, taking three sacks but adding 10 yards over two rushes.

12 different Jaguars receivers caught a pass with Austin Trammell leading the team in receptions (four) and yards (75).

Defensively, defensive ends Breeland Speaks and Joe Gaziano, the latter of which signed with the Jaguars Friday, and defensive tackle Esezi Otomewo produced Jacksonville’s biggest impact plays against the pass, with one sack apiece.

Jacksonville’s coverage team played soundly, too, limiting Tampa Bay passers Kyle Trask and John Wolford to just 4.8 yards per attempt combined.

The Buccaneers averaged a solid 4.8 yards per rushing attempt but largely abandoned the running game into the second half.

Jacksonville will wrap up its preseason on the road next week, with the Jaguars heading to Atlanta to face the Falcons on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Bucs win preseason opener, beat Bengals 17-14

The Buccaneers defeat the Bengals with a last-minute scoring drive.

The Buccaneers returned to football on the right foot, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 17-14 in their preseason debut. Most of Tampa Bay’s starters did not play, but the Bucs were able to squeak by the Bengals with a handful of big plays on offense.

The game kicked off with Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow under center as he led Cincinnati’s offense to a touchdown on their opening drive. The Bucs nearly had the Bengals stalled just outside the redzone, but a pass interference call on cornerback Josh Hayes, though it appeared rookie safety Tykee Smith committed the penalty, pushed Cincinnati within striking distance. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins juked Hayes on the following play on the 10-yard scoring reception.

Tampa Bay responded at the end of the first quarter with their own scoring drive. Backup QB Kyle Trask distributed the ball the Bucs’ young receivers Ryan Miller, Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan to drive the offense down the field. Rookie running back Bucky Irving capped the drive with a five-yard run into the endzone.

The second quarter was a symphony of dysfunction for both teams. Trask badly missed Ryan Miller for an interception by Bengals CB Josh Newton, while Bengals QB Jake Browning threw his own pick to Bucs CB Keenan Isaac. Both Chase McLaughlin and Evan McPherson missed field goals to ensure a scoreless quarter to end the half.

Tampa Bay opened the second half with a 53-yard scoring drive in which McLaughlin successfully kicked a 35-yard chip shot. After that, neither team made much traction for the majority of the half, trading punts and a Bucs turnover on downs.

As the game drew to a close, both teams started to heat up on offense. The Bengals struck first with 37-yard touchdown reception by WR Jermaine Burton. The Bucs responded with a 60-yard drive that was kept alive by pass interference call on CB Lance Robinson, allowing RB Ramon Jefferson to punch in the go-ahead touchdown score.

The Bengals threatened in the closing minute with a 37-yard Chris Evans kickoff return and a 38-yard Jermaine Burton reception. The drive stalled on the Bucs’ 24-yard line and the Bucs ended the game after the Bengals turned the ball over on downs.

Tampa Bay finished with 390 total yards, including 136 rush yards. RB Sean Tucker led the Bucs with 68 rush yards on 10 carries. Kyle Trask led the team with 144 pass yards with 12 completions on 20 pass attempts. The Bucs’ quarterbacks were uninspiring overall, throwing no touchdowns while taking three sacks and throwing two interceptions between Trask and Wolford.

The Bucs defense was solid, holding the Bengals to 36 rush yards and 12 total first downs. While they failed to bring down the Bengals quarterbacks for any sacks, outside linebacker Jose Ramirez lived in Cincinnati’s backfield, forcing a few offensive holding penalties to stymie the Bengals offense.

While the Bucs offense showed some dysfunction particularly at quarterback, the run game looked much improved from last season, and the young wide receiver corps flashed potential. Tampa Bay now faces a week of joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of their preseason matchup next Saturday.

Bucs 2024 training camp preview: Quarterbacks

With starter Baker Mayfield in place, what challenges await the Buccaneers’ quarterbacks in training camp?

The Buccaneers head into 2024 leaps and bounds ahead of where they were last year, thanks largely to one man: Baker Mayfield. The former 2018 first-overall pick went from being a reclamation project for a rebuilding team to a true-blue starting quarterback for the defending NFC South champions. Where not long ago, everything in Tampa Bay revolved around Tom Brady, it will now orbit Mayfield.

While signing Mayfield to a three-year extension secured much needed  consistency for the Bucs, he enters an all-too-familiar situation going into this year’s training camp. Once again, Mayfield has a new offensive coordinator, former Kentucky and Los Angeles Rams coordinator Liam Coen. After playing for seven offensive coordinators in six seasons, playing for Coen has one small mercy: Mayfield has played for him before, during their short stint in Los Angeles.

At first blush, this reunion appears problematic. When Mayfield last played for Coen, he averaged -0.040 EPA per play, 24th in the NFL during the span he played in Los Angeles. The difference now is the environment. Mayfield’s most reliable target with the Rams was tight end Tyler Higbee while playing behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines that season.

The synergy between Mayfield and Coen will be the key to continuing the Bucs’ offensive growth in the past 12 months. With Mayfield under center, the Bucs had the NFL’s eighth-best EPA per dropback (0.110). Improving on last year’s offensive effectiveness will be a challenge with the implementation of a new offensive system that Mayfield has already called “mentally taxing.”

Mayfield will need to take firm command of the offense early in training camp as Coen’s system heavily implements motions and shifts, which previous Bucs offenses have not. The rest of the offense will be more reliant on Mayfield’s familiarity with the system to operate at or above where it did last year.

The other advantage Mayfield will enjoy heading into this year’s camp will be his unquestioned status as Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback. Last year, Mayfield competed, if even nominally, with Bucs’ 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask for the starting job. That will not be the case this year. Mayfield will take the lion’s share of the starting reps.

With Mayfield entrenched as the starter, Trask may finally be out of chances to prove his starting quality in the NFL. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Trask does not have the same upside he had sitting behind Tom Brady and will be looking for a backup deal with Tampa Bay or perhaps elsewhere in the next 12 months.

Third-string QB John Wolford has more experience with Liam Coen than anyone else on the roster. Coen was Wolford’s assistant QB coach during his rookie season in Los Angeles and spent a full season with Coen when he was the Ram’s offensive coordinator. That familiarity could even be enough to push Wolford to snag second-string snaps from Trask. At the very least, it should keep Wolford on the roster come the end of camp and the preseason.

The newcomer to the group is Zack Annexstad, an undrafted rookie out of Illinois State. Barring a miraculous showing in training camp, Annexstad will not to unseat Trask or Wolford for a roster spot. His most realistic goal will be to earn a spot on the Bucs’ practice squad.

Bucs GM Jason Licht doesn’t regret drafting Kyle Trask

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht won’t apologize for spending a second-round pick in 2021 on his backup quarterback

The year after winning their second Super Bowl, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent their second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, hoping to make a future investment into a potential successor for Tom Brady.

Three years later, Trask has yet to play a single meaningful snap for the Bucs, and now heads into the final year of his rookie contract backing up Tampa Bay’s clear-cut starter in Baker Mayfield.

Even so, Bucs general manager Jason Licht doesn’t regret the pick.

Licht recently discussed the topic with Pewter Report, making it clear he won’t apologize for investing premium resources into game’s most important position, regardless of the results.

“You know you guys know me by now,” Licht said. “I will tell you where I made a mistake and I will admit it and say, ‘You know I’ve learned from that.’ I’m not making any apologies for taking Kyle Trask.”

“You know you’ve got teams that have – in back-to-back years – taken quarterbacks in the Top 10, and it’s a premium position,” Licht continued. “You want to hit on it. You get desperate, teams get desperate [looking for a franchise quarterback]. You see what teams give up in trades, you see what they’re doing in money – guaranteed money – all these things to get their quarterback. So to take one in the second round – I have no apologies for that.”

It’s understandable to want to have multiple plans and options at quarterback just in case, but it’s still hard for Bucs fans not to wonder whether or not addressing a different position of need would have been enough to get them closer to a repeat in 2021.

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DJ Lagway among CBS Sports’ marquee true freshman expected to play

It is more likely than not that DJ Lagway will see some playing time this coming fall.

The Florida football program took a huge step during the 2024 recruiting cycle with the addition of five-star quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag].

Lacking a true standout at the most important position on the field since [autotag]Kyle Trask[/autotag] — even [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] struggled during his tenure — the Gators are counting on the Lone Star State product to bring the program back to respectability. Lagway will start the season as a backup on the depth chart, but once things begin anything can happen.

CBS Sports writer Cooper Petagna took a look at the top five marquee true freshmen from the last class and ranked them in order of their likelihood of seeing playing time this fall. Lagway came out ranked second under the heading, “More likely than not (to play).”

“On paper, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and the Gators appear to be in a very comfortable position at the quarterback spot as [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] and his wealth of experience return to Gainesville with hopes to build on an encouraging first year in the Swamp,” Petagna begins.

“That being said, Lagway is simply too gifted to and too important to Napier’s future to keep off the field as he enters the fray and what is considered to be a make-or-break season for the Gators.”

Demographics

“Listed at 6-foot-3 and north of 240 pounds on Florida’s spring roster, Lagway is coming off a senior season at Willis High School where he set the Texas Class 6A single-season record for touchdown passes all while leading the program to its best record in over 60 years and their first trip to the regional semifinals in almost three decades,” he continues.

“A proven winner, it’s not only the true freshman’s intangibles that should be noted but his dual-threat capabilities too that should allow Napier and his staff the creativity to use the five-star signal caller in a way that should remind most Florida fans of the Anthony Richardson era.”

Florida’s opening game

Florida opens up its 2024 regular-season schedule in the Swamp against the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Should the Bucs pick a QB in the 2024 NFL draft?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might want to invest in a long-term backup plan at quarterback with a late-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have the same exact quarterback room for the 2024 season that they had last year, bringing valuable continuity to the game’s most important position.

But should they start planning for the future?

Baker Mayfield is back on a new three-year contract extension, securing the starting spot for the foreseeable future. Kyle Trask is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, while veteran John Wolford is back on a one-year deal as the third-stringer.

Trask, a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, has barely touched the field, and hasn’t shown the Bucs anything that would warrant a contract extension after the 2024 season. Wolford is a fantastic veteran presence to have in the room, especially considering his knowledge of the offense from his time with Liam Coen when both were with the Los Angeles Rams.

Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

If the Bucs want to replace Trask with a long-term project, they could find a late-round pick to fill that role, and this year’s draft class should give them some intriguing options.

Tennessee’s Joe Milton III would be an ideal candidate, thanks to his impressive physical tools that give him tons of upside. He still needs some refinement, which will require patience at the next level, but investing a Day 3 pick into his lofty potential wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Bucs.

Mayfield will be the starter for at least the next couple of years, but if Tampa Bay wants a long-term backup plan beyond Trask and Wolford, Milton could be a strong fit.

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Is Kyle Trask the Bucs’ backup plan if they can’t re-sign Baker Mayfield?

If the Bucs can’t bring back Baker Mayfield, they might have to gamble on a the former second-round pick

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are running out of time to re-sign quarterback Baker Mayfield before he hits free agency Monday, and if they lose him to another team, they’ll be forced back to the drawing board at the game’s most important position.

Mayfield enjoyed the best season of his career last year after signing a one-year deal with the Bucs in free agency last offseason, but now he’s earned a much bigger pay day, and one Tampa Bay might not be able to afford.

If they’re not able to keep him, the Bucs might have to resort to the man Mayfield beat out during training camp and the preseason for the starting job last year.

Kyle Trask is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, and despite being a second-round pick back in 2021, he’s barely sniffed the field for any regular-season action over his three seasons with the team. He was inactive on game day as the third-stringer behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert for two seasons, then Mayfield’s backup last year.

A Heisman Trophy finalist for the Gators, Trask has flashed some potential during preseason action, but hasn’t been able to earn any meaningful snaps up to this point. That said, Bucs general manager Jason Licht said earlier this week that Trask remains one of their options if Mayfield heads elsewhere in free agency:

There are some other veterans expected to be available on the open market this week, but Mayfield could make a strong case to be the best of them. Trading for Justin Fields is also a possibility, but if the Bucs want to go the cheap route, they could let Trask start this season and see what he’s really got before his rookie contract expires.

That would be a massive gamble on their part, but one that could pay off should he live up to the expectations that came with his draft slot.

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