The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t appear to be enamored by the Baker Mayfield experience.
After the team signed Mayfield to fill the starting role vacated by Tom Brady, competition in the quarterback room — particularly from upstart signal-caller Kyle Trask — could put the starter question under scrutiny.
“First couple of days, I think the experience that Baker brings — just playing in games, being in camps, going through installs — you could see where the offense was jelling really well,” Bucs’ offensive coordinator Dave Canales said on Tuesday to reporters. “The timing of the snaps and all that is really critical for us, so probably a little bit of an edge for Baker to start off, just in terms of the smoothness of the offense.
“But it just took a couple of days for Kyle to really settle in, and then what we saw is, the last two practices Kyle really showed what he can do: stretching the field with his arm, getting the ball out quickly, making decisions.
“So I’m really excited about both of those guys and the progression that they’ve made throughout the last couple of days.”
Head coach Todd Bowles said the young quarterback is turning heads with his ability to protect the football.
“Their No. 1 responsibility is don’t turn the ball over,” Bowles added. “And [Trask] has been doing a good job of not turning it over.”
Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, has had one of the most wayward careers in recent memory, spending four years with the Browns before stints with the Panthers and Rams last season.
He largely disappointed with the Browns, tossing 92 touchdowns and 56 interceptions over his four years before Cleveland traded him to Carolina for a conditional fourth-round pick last summer.
After the Panthers released Mayfield following seven games — at the quarterback’s own request — he enjoyed minor success in Los Angeles, tossing 850 yards in four starts with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Trask is a 2021 second-round pick from Florida who mostly served as Brady’s backup last season.
He threw for 4,283 yards and 43 touchdowns in his final season with the Gators.
