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Go To: FlashUpdate / August Update Main Page
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | ||
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Go To: Off-season Team Review
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| Most Recent News Updates: | ||
| TBB -- Tucker Set To Open Season As RB2 Behind White (9/03/14:51 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Evans Puts Week 1 Deadline On New Deal (9/01/08:31 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Mayfield Comfortable In Final Tune-Up For Regular Season (8/27/00:02 CT) | ||
| TBB -- C Jensen To Miss Another Season; Career Might Be Over (8/26/20:45 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Mayfield The Starter, But OC Canales Still Keen On Kyle Trask (8/25/19:03 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Tucker Gets A Handful Of First-Team Reps Along With White (8/25/11:22 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Wolford Says Neck Injury Not A Concern; Making Final Roster Is (8/24/11:05 CT) | ||
| TBB -- More Details On Mayfield Being Named Starter (8/22/10:21 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Wolford Not Working, But Back On The Practice Field (8/22/10:16 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Mayfield Named Week 1 Starting QB (8/22/09:44 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Buccaneers Release Blankenship; McLaughlin The Lone Remaining PK (8/21/19:01 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Not So Fast; Bowles Not Ready To Name Mayfield The Starter (8/21/01:13 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Mayfield-Trask Competition Still Ongoing? Wolford Okay (8/20/09:08 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Mayfield's Night Off Vs. Jets Another Sign QB Competition Is Over (8/20/00:03 CT) | ||
| TBB -- QB Wolford Taken To Hospital With Neck Injury (8/19/21:04 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Extension Coming For Mike Evans? (8/18/12:06 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Bowles Confirms A Torn Patellar Tendon For Gage (8/17/15:01 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Evans Ready For Bucs To Name Their Starting QB (8/17/00:10 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Gage Suffers Non-Contact Knee Injury, Expected To End His Season (8/16/10:53 CT) | ||
| TBB-- Gage Carted Off The Field (8/16/09:59 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Mayfield Starting To Pull Away From Trask (8/15/00:35 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Is Mayfield Already Locked In As Week 1 Starter (8/10/18:44 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Mayfield Will Start Vs. Steelers This Week; Trask Starts Next Week (8/09/11:03 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Mayfield, Trask Will Each Start One Of The Next Two Games (8/09/00:05 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Trask Keeping His Focus On What He Can Control (8/08/17:02 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Edmonds RB2 On Initial Depth Chart After Strong Start To Camp (8/08/14:11 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Mayfield Or Trask? Both Listed As QB1 On First Unofficial Depth Chart (8/08/08:56 CT) | ||
| TBB -- Initial Issues And Injuries Of Note (8/08/00:00 CT) | ||
Current News Updates
9/03 Rookie Sean Tucker will start the season as the team's No.2 running back behind Rachaad White, according to JC Allen of Sports Illustrated. ... The undrafted rookie beat out Chase Edmonds and Ke’Shawn Vaughn for the job this preseason. Tucker has been repping with starters for weeks so this doesn’t come as a surprise. As Rotoworld notes, Tucker’s profile is better than most Day 2 backs — rushing for over 3,000 yards as a three-year ACC starter — but medical concerns pushed him off draftboards. Now he's a player worth watching.9/01 Mike Evans has set a Week 1 deadline to receive a new contract from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with his representation indicating the wide receiver will look to play elsewhere in 2024 if no deal is reached. Evans' representation, Day 1 Sports and Entertainment, said in a release Friday that the wide receiver "wants the next phase of his career to be with an organization who wants him and wants him to help win a Super Bowl. Which is why we have informed the Buccaneers organization that we will discontinue contract discussions as of September 9, 2023," the agency said. ... Evans is entering the final season of a five-year, $82.5 million extension he signed in March 2018. He is set to to make a base salary of $13 million and received a $1.5 million roster bonus in March. His current deal includes three void years for 2024 to 2026. Day 1 said in its release that Evans has not received a new offer to stay in Tampa Bay. Evans, a four-time Pro Bowler, has posted nine straight 1,000-yard seasons during his career with the Buccaneers, who drafted him No. 7 overall in 2014. Given all this, it appears Evans 10th season as a Buccaneer could be his last. 8/27 According to the Associated Press, Baker Mayfield looked comfortable in his final tune-up as Tampa Bay’s new starting quarterback, throwing a touchdown pass while playing less than a quarter in the Buccaneers’ preseason-closing victory over the Ravens on Saturday night. ... Mayfield was selected as the starter over third-year pro Kyle Trask earlier in the week and played two series Saturday night, his first game action since Tampa Bay’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 draft completed all six of his passes for 43 yards, including an 11-yard TD throw to Chris Godwin for the Buccaneers (2-1). Trask, a 2021 second-round draft pick who played behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert the past two seasons, played nearly the entire game for the second straight week. He completed 19 of 31 passes without an interception, finishing with 192 yards passing and a 6-yard TD to tight end David Wells. Trask, who's only thrown nine career regular-season passes, also led four drives that ended with Chase McLaughlin field goals. ... Much of Tampa Bay’s No. 1 defense, meanwhile, saw its first action of the preseason. HC Todd Bowles sat 10 of 11 regulars the previous two weeks against the Steelers and New York Jets, with second-year defensive lineman Logan Hall the only projected starter suiting up for those games. Next up, the Buccaneers travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings on Sept. 10 in their regular-season opener. ... You can access complete stats for Saturday's Week 3 exhibition finale via our exclusive Fantasy BoxScore. 8/26 Ryan Jensen won't play in 2023. GM Jason Licht on Saturday announced Jensen will be placed on season-ending injured reserve during the team's preseason finale versus the Ravens. return. Jensen worked hard to make that happen for Tom Brady's final playoff run, but the injury has lingered and could potentially be a career-ender. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports that Jensen has likely played his last down in the NFL, and Licht indicated such a conclusion for the nine-year veteran upon his announcement on Saturday. Robert Hainsey, who was thrust into the starting lineup upon Jensen's injury last year, is expected to be the team's starting center in 2023. 8/25 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback battle predictably ended with Baker Mayfield named the starter earlier this week. It was the outcome foretold the moment Mayfield signed his one-year, incentive-laden deal in Tampa. But by all accounts, Kyle Trask put up a good effort to swing the predictable into a surprise. "Oh, absolutely," offensive coordinator Dave Canales said on Thursday, via the team’s official website. "And the cool part about us is we've got all the film, so we get to watch all the quarterbacks that are playing in the preseason, whether they're playing the starters for a few series or the backups for a few series. If you watch Kyle's film and you throw on any of the games across the league, you'll see this is a real talent -- this is a real starting-level talent at quarterback. He just has [calmness] in the pocket, he's accurate and he just stays cool throughout the whole thing -- good or bad series, he's right back on it. Pretty cool" According to Canales, the decision to ride with Mayfield was about experience. Based on all that, it becomes clear that the scales were tipped in Mayfield's favor from the start, and only an implosion would have changed that. As NFL.com suggests, Trask's preseason play -- and the glowing reviews from the coaches -- adds intrigue to the situation. If the staff truly believes what it's said regarding Trask -- and it's not all just smoke -- should Mayfield stub his toe early in the season and the Bucs struggle, there could be a swift QB change. This is Mayfield's last chance to prove he's an NFL starter. It's on him to prove it. If he struggles again, however, Trask will be waiting in the wings for his first real opportunity. 8/25 According to SI.com's Ben Meyerson, rookie RB Sean Tucker was splitting the first team reps with Rachaad White. Meyerson added, "while it was only one drive it is definitely something to monitor." And we'll do just that. 8/24 One of the scariest moments of this preseason happened when backup QB John Wolford was put on a stretcher, carted off the field and taken by ambulance to a hospital on Saturday. But Wolford says the neck injury he suffered just five days ago isn’t even a concern now. Instead, Wolford’s primary concern is whether he’s made a good enough case to the Bucs’ coaching staff and front office that he’ll still be in Tampa after the Bucs cut down to 53 players next week. Wolford told reporters today that he’s feeling fine at practice and even stayed on the field for extra work, and his only issue now is a little neck stiffness. But Wolford is unsure whether he’ll still be with the Bucs beyond Tuesday, when all NFL teams have to be down to 53 players on the active roster. “You control what you can control. I think I’ve had a really good training camp,” Wolford said, via Greg Auman of Fox Sports. “I think I’ve made a good case for myself. ..." Baker Mayfield will be the No. 1 quarterback in Tampa and Kyle Trask will be No. 2. Wolford hopes he’s earned the No. 3 job for the regular season, but he won’t know whether he made the 53-player roster until next week. 8/22 Following up on the previous item. ... HC Todd Bowles named Baker Mayfield the team’s starter in his Tuesday press conference -- in response to a question asking if the competition was close. “Baker’s our starting quarterback,” Bowles said. “Kyle’s No. 2.” What were the determining factors? “There’s a lot that goes into it,” Bowles said. “I can’t sit up here and give you every detail. We go through minicamp, training camp, and OTAs, and we love everything Kyle has done. And he’s gotten leaps and bounds better than he has in the spring and he’s continuing to get better and we’re excited about him. Baker’s our guy right now — experience-wise and understanding the playbook just a little bit better. But Kyle’s on the come [up]. But we like both guys. We like where we’re at. Baker’s the [No.] 1, Kyle’s [No.] 2.” Bowles said he notified the quarterbacks on Tuesday morning of his decision, noting Trask took the news well. Bowles said he’s planning to have Mayfield and the starters play the first half against the Ravens in Saturday’s preseason finale with Trask and the second-team unit playing the third and fourth quarters. The No. 1 pick of the 2018 draft, Mayfield is now QB1 for a second NFC South team in the last two years. He went 1-5 as a starter for the Panthers last year, completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,313 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions in seven total appearances. After Carolina released Mayfield, he was claimed off waivers by the Rams and appeared in five games with four starts. Though he didn’t start his first game with the club, he engineered a stunning comeback against the Raiders on Thursday Night Football. He finished his five L.A. games with a 63.6 percent completion rate, 850 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. While nobody should expect high-end play here, having an experienced hand in under center should work in favor of assets like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. 8/22 QB John Wolford was taken to a local hospital after suffering a neck injury in last Saturday’s preseason game against the Jets, but he was able to travel home with the team and Tuesday brought another positive development. Reporters at Tuesday’s practice shared pictures and video of Wolford taking part in stretching with the rest of the team. According to Profootballtalk.com, Wolford is not wearing pads, so he’s set to be a limited participant in the session but being out there for any work is a good sign that Wolford avoided any kind of serious injury. The Buccaneers have not settled on a starting quarterback at this point, but Wolford is the third quarterback whether Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask winds up with the starting job. As PFT notes, an offseason change in rules concerning the availability of emergency quarterbacks is expected to lead to more teams keeping third quarterbacks on their active rosters. It’s unclear if the Bucs are in that group, but Wolford’s quick return to the field won’t hurt his chances of sticking around beyond next week’s cutdown day. 8/22 According to Pewter Report, the Buccaneers have named QB Baker Mayfield the week 1 starting QB. Mayfield had been in a competition with Kyle Trask. 8/21 Tampa Bay has waived Rodrigo Blankenship, the team announced on Monday. That leaves Chase McLaughlin as the lone kicker on the roster and the winner of the competition. Blankenship signed with the Bucs in June. He hit 2-of-4 field goals in the preseason, while McLaughlin has gone 1-of-1 on FGs and 3-of-3 on extra point attempts. McLaughlin replaced Blankenship with the Colts and made 30-of-36 field goals and all 21 of his extra points in 2022. He’s also kicked for the Browns, Jaguars, Chargers, Jets, and 49ers in his career. 8/21 Following up on the previous item. ... The Buccaneers quarterback competition remains ongoing -- even if one of the participants had Saturday night off against the Jets. Kyle Trask received the start in Tampa Bay's 13-6 win and put together a solid outing that flashed in spurts, going 20 of 28 for 218 yards and a touchdown in his pursuit of the QB1 job over Baker Mayfield. However, the biggest wrinkle of the night came after Trask's was meant to be done. John Wolford relieved him following a half of football, but after the third-stringer suffered a neck injury that required being stretchered off the field, Trask re-entered the ball game for a double dip. HC Todd Bowles, who told reporters in the postgame that resting Mayfield doesn't necessarily mean the older veteran will be the Week 1 starter, provided an explanation for turning again to Trask. "Trask was warmer at the time, and we took out the line and he was ready to go," Bowles said, per team transcripts. "We were going to play Baker at the end of the half, but we wanted to see Kyle in the two-minute period, so kind of left him in and then the time kind of went down. We wanted to play John in the second half, it wasn't fair to put Baker in there without the line he had, and Trask was already warmed up so when John got hurt, we just put him back in to finish." While reading between the lines might suggest Bowles wanted to keep Mayfield safe for the season opener, the coach remains firm that a competition remains. Bowles said in his Sunday news conference that his staff still has to meet to determine QB snap counts in the final tune-up for the season. That remains under wraps for now, and so, too, does the Bucs' starter under center. "We don't have a timetable on it," Bowles said about publicly announcing a decision. "We'll name it when we name it. We feel comfortable with where we're at, so we'll go from there." 8/20 According to NFL Network's Sarah Walsh, with no decision made on QB yet, HC Todd Bowles said in this final week of competition he wants to see Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask continue to master the offense and "drive the car. ..." As previously noted, it appears Mayfield has already won this competition. While Bowles comments to the contrary shouldn't be ignored, the evidence in terms of playing time has been noted. Mayfield did not play at all Saturday, which Bowles said was a decision he made during the game based on game circumstances even though the plan initially had been for all three quarterbacks to play. We'll continue to watch for more. ... Meanwhile, QB John Wolford was stretchered off the field during Saturday’s preseason game with a neck injury and taken to a hospital, but he is expected to be OK. Bowles said Wolford was moving and the team is optimistic. “He got his movement back in his arm,” Bowles said. “It kind of went numb a little bit. He got his movement back, and he seems to be OK.” 8/20 The Bucs opted not to play Baker Mayfield in the second preseason game (against the Jets on Saturday), which ESPN.com's Jenna Laine contends is "a pretty strong indicator of who won the starting quarterback job. ..." Last week, Mayfield got the start and Kyle Trask came in to relieve him. This week Trask started and he connected with Trey Palmer on a beautiful 33-yard touchdown pass on a post route, but he also fumbled the ball on a sack by defensive end Bryce Huff (it was recovered by tight end Cade Otton) and failed to account for an extra blitzer in defensive back Craig James. Laine added Trask is improved by leaps and bounds from last year and even from minicamp -- and the Bucs should be encouraged by that -- but Mayfield's experience gave him the edge as the better quarterback under the lights. 8/19 QB John Wolford is being taken to a local hospital for evaluation after suffering a neck injury tonight vs. the Jets. Wolford has movement in his extremities. We'll follow up as needed. 8/18 The Bucs have been discussing an extension with Mike Evans. His current contract was signed in 2018 and had a $16 million average annual value. He is underpaid since then and he now ranks about 17 among wide receivers, according to Sam Robinson of Pro Football Rumors. “I can’t see Mike playing anywhere else,” GM Jason Licht said, via The Athletic’s Dan Pompei. “I hope and think we can figure something out so he can retire a Buc. We want Mike to be here long term. ...” Evans has started his career with nine consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and will soon be 30 years old. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted recently that an extension for Evans could be worked out by the end of training camp. 8/17 Following up on previous items. ... WR Russell Gage suffered a torn patellar tendon in Wednesday's practice and is out for the 2023 season, HC Todd Bowles confirmed to reporters. 8/17 The Buccaneers continue to have a competition for the starting quarterback job. Receiver Mike Evans wants that competition to end. ... Via JoeBucsFan.com, Evans said Wednesday that, basically, it’s time for the Bucs to pick a horse and ride it. “We want to know who the starter’s going to be, you know, soon,” Evans said after a joint practice with the Jets. “So we can just keep working and [the starting quarterback] can take control of the offense. ...” Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com has reported that Baker Mayfield will win the job over Kyle Trask. As Profootballtalk.com suggests, whoever it is, it’s time to start getting that player ready for Week 1 at Minnesota by giving him all of the practice reps with the first-team offense. 8/16 Following up on the previous item, Bucs WR Russell Gage suffered a non-contact knee injury during today's joint practice with the Jets and the belief heading into exams is that the severe injury will end his season, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. 8/16 According to Pewter Report, WR Russell Gage has been taken off the field on a cart with support from the training staff. He was not putting weight on his leg and it does not look good. 8/15 According to NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal, Baker Mayfield easily outplayed Kyle Trask in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason opener. It was a composed effort from Mayfield and a scattershot one from Trask, who is expected to start the second preseason game. Mayfield reportedly kept his improved play going in Sunday's practice and appears to be creating separation in this competition. 8/10 As Profootballtalk.com put it, "The competition continues. But the outcome reportedly has essentially been determined. ..." Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com reports that the Buccaneers intend to entrust the offense to quarterback Baker Mayfield one month from today, when Tampa Bay visits Minnesota. “About this Kyle Trask and Mayfield competition, I was told pointedly and without much doubt, Mayfield’s going to be the starter in Minneapolis,” Kaufman said on his podcast (via PFT). “That’s what I was told. With all due respect to Trask, who has had a good training camp and Mayfield’s struggled a bit, Mayfield’s getting the ball in Minneapolis.” Although it’s not over, Kaufman said “it’s probably a lost cause for Trask.” Kaufman went on to explain: "When it was told to me [that Mayfield would start Week 1] it was said in a definitive manner. There was no equivocation. It wasn’t even said, ‘Well, depending on it could change in the preseason games; let’s see what happens.’ No, none of that. It was basically, ‘It’s Mayfield’s job. He’s got it. He’s going to be the starter against Kirk Cousins and those Vikings. ...’” Against those Vikings, it’s not quite clear what the defense will be doing under new coordinator Brian Flores. Later tonight, the Bucs and the rest of the league will begin to get some clues, as Minnesota opens the preseason in Seattle. 8/09 Tampa Bay's quarterback competition received its preseason plan on Wednesday. ... Head coach Todd Bowles announced that Baker Mayfield will get the start in this Friday's preseason opener versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kyle Trask will start next week against the New York Jets. Asked if this decision is any indication of one being ahead of the other in the QB battle, Bowles said, "Not really." NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says Mayfield getting the first start is "not a huge surprise." Rapoport explained: "Baker probably has the inside track here at being the starting quarterback just considering the money that he's making, the sort of fanfare of his signing and, you know, where he's been in the NFL and the experience that he's had. Kyle Trask, still very much, though, in the competition. ..." Rapoport added that the Bucs will likely make a decision on who wins the job ahead of the final preseason game. As previously noted, the contest between Mayfield and Trask has been close with both QBs sharing first-team reps in training camp, with first-year Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales saying last week that the competition has "absolutely" tightened. Both QBs were listed as co-starters in the team's first unofficial depth chart of the 2023 season. 8/09 Following up on the ongoing story. ... The first Buccaneers depth chart of the season lists Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask as the team’s starting quarterback and head coach Todd Bowles reinforced the even nature of the competition at his Tuesday press conference. The team plays its first preseason game against the Steelers on Friday and the identity of the starter for that game has not been revealed at this point. Once it is, Bowles said we’ll also know who will be starting their second preseason game against the Jets. “Whoever starts this game, the other one will start the next game and get the same amount of reps,” Bowles said, via Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times. “So, once we sit down and go through that on Thursday, we’ll have a better decision. But they should expect to play.” Bowles didn’t say whether the second quarterback into Friday’s game will get time with members of the first-team offense and there’s no plan in place for the third week of preseason, but it certainly looks like the Bucs are doing all they can to evaluate their quarterbacks under the same conditions. 8/08 Following up on the ongoing story. ... The word in Tampa last week was that quarterback competition between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask has gotten tighter over the course of training camp -- a fact that became even more apparent when the Buccaneers listed "Trask or Mayfield" as their QB1 on the intitial, unofficial depth chart. Mayfield acknowledged that his recent practice work has been shaky, but Trask said on Monday that his view of the competition isn’t focused on his teammate. Trask said that he’s keeping his eyes on himself because his performance is the only thing he can control. “I’ve been in a lot of quarterback competitions in my football career and I think the main thing you can focus on is just playing the best that you can,” Trask said, via the team’s website. “There’s a lot of things that are out of your hands, in terms of the competition. It’s the same for me: stay focused on what I can do. I know it’s obviously cliché but it’s the truth — I’m just focused on getting our offense in the best play, the best checks that I possibly can. ...” The Buccaneers host the Steelers on Friday night in their first preseason game, which Trask said will be “another brick in this competition” and the performances in that game will certainly spark conversations about which direction Tampa will go at the offense’s most important spot. 8/08 Chase Edmonds, who signed with the Buccaneers this offseason, is envisioned as a multi-position asset by new offensive coordinator Dave Canales, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. As CBSSports.com notes, Edmonds has always been lauded for his speed and pass-catching ability, and Canales has certainly taken note of those attributes from his past experiences coaching against the sixth-year back. However, there's more to Edmonds' skill set, considering he's posted a 78.9 percent pass block win rate since 2018 and is also adept at playing special teams. Additionally, Canales, who refers to Edmonds as "lightning in a bottle" and a "really dangerous asset," also made mention of the fact the 27-year-old is capable of carrying out slot receiver duties. .... Given all that, it's worth noting that Edmonds is listed as RB2 behind starter Rachaad White on the team's initial, unofficial depth chart ahead of Ke’Shawn Vaughn. 8/08 The first Buccaneers depth chart of the summer includes no hints about who will be their starting quarterback.Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask are competing for that role and the depth chart makes no distinction between them. The depth chart lists Mayfield or Trask as the team’s No. 1 quarterback ahead of their first preseason game. That game takes place on Friday night and it’s not known which of the quarterbacks will be taking the first snaps against the Steelers. As Profootballtalk.com notes, given the timeline that head coach Todd Bowles has hinted at this summer, it seems like a good bet that one quarterback will start this week and the other one would get first crack at leading the offense against the Jets on August 19. Offensive coordinator Dave Canales said last week that the competition has tightened up and this Friday will bring the first extended look at just how things are falling into place for the Bucs offense. 8/08 As the Tampa Bay Times noted last week, Baker Mayfield never expected to be handed the Bucs’ starting quarterback job. After offensive coordinator Dave Canales said the competition between Mayfield and Kyle Trask was heating up earlier this week, the former Heisman Trophy winner said he’s always expected he’d have to prove himself to win a job. Mayfield was brought in this season on a one-year deal worth up to $8.5 million partly because he was familiar with the style of offense that Canales was installing. A week into training camp, Trask has caught up quickly. As far as Mayfield sees it, despite being the Browns’ overall No. 1 draft pick in 2018, being in tight competition for a job is the status quo for him. “Just heightened awareness on your own details. Calm in the chaos,” Mayfield said. We have a great team around me. Just being able to distribute the ball. The competition to me is just how well can I do little things. You look at the greats in every single sport and they never get bored with little details. And so just continue to hone in on that.” Mayfield spent four seasons with the Browns, where he threw 92 touchdowns and 56 interceptions before they dealt him to the Panthers for a conditional fourth-round draft pick. He ended up with the Rams, where he learned a system similar to Canales’ and had some success. In four games, Mayfield threw for 850 yards and four touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions. Trask, the Bucs’ second-round pick out of Florida in 2021, spent his time in the NFL learning behind Tom Brady. This competition bears watching.
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 Team Review
Fantasy Grade: C
All good Things must come to an end, and so it goes for the Tom Brady era in Tampa the Golden Boy's retirement slammed shut whatever Super Bowl window existed. But in a weak NFC South, the Buccaneers have aspirations of being more than a rebuilding team - provided they cart get adequate play under center. That play will likely come from Baker Mayfield, who is on his fourth team in 18 months after signing with the Buccaneers in free agency. Mayfield will have to beat out second-year pro Kyle Trask to start, but Mayfield thinks not only can he win that competition but that naysayers writing off the Burs are underestimating the team. "From top down it's all about winning,' he told reporters. "That's the best part - na distractions, no other nonsense. It's just about how can we get on the same page toward winning. That is how you build a great franchise, and that's why it is one." The overriding fantasy question in Tampa this year is what effect a new quarterback will have on star wide receivers Mike Evans and Chns Godwin. Evans has never failed to hit 1.000 receiving yards in a season, but with his 30th birthday approaching, Craig Rondinone of RotoBaller voiced some concerns. "Evans has been able to post 1.000-yard seasons with Josh McCown, Jameis Winston, and Ryan Fitzpatrick as his quarterbacks, so he does not need a Hall of Fame thrower to be a fantasy force," he said. 'Fantasy managers still have to worry if Evans' value will drop this year since he is turning 30 years old, is part of a rebuilding team, and no longer has Brady throwing to him inside the red zone.' However, where some analysts are concerned, there could be the potential for real value with both Evans and Godwin. Last year, the ADP of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf free-fell after Russell Wilson left Seattle. This isn't to say Mayfield (or Trask) will be 2022 Geno Smith, but with even margin-ally competent GB play Evans and Godwin could outper-form ADP in 2023. It appeared earlier in the offseason that lead running back duties in Tampa would fall to Rachaad White despite a relatively unimpressive 3.7 yards per carry as a rookie. The Bucs added Chase Edmonds in free agency, but former NFL GM Rick Spielman wrote far the 33rd Team that White is still headed toward a coming-out party in 2023." 'Expect a big workload for White, not only in the running game but catching the ball out of the backfield," he said. 'If he can replicate what he did in Munich. Germany, last season against the Seattle Seahawks when he rushed for 105 yards on 22 Gerdes, you could see a potential Pro Bowl player." | ||
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2023 Off-Season News & Views
Click here for Complete set of News & Views
Click here for earlier off-season items |
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