Second-year quarterback Kyle Trask expected to have legitimate shot at starting job
Tampa Bay has one of the hardest tasks in the entire league this season, finding a capable replacement for former star quarterback Tom Brady. The 44-year-old surprised the NFL in February when he decided to step away from the game after his 22-year career. Though there are whispers that Brady is already considering a comeback, it seems unlikely that his tenure with the Buccaneers would continue in that event.
Head coach Bruce Arians has thrown a ton of praise towards veteran Blaine Gabbert in recent weeks, expressing confidence in his ability to step into the starting role. Gabbert has been with the team since 2019, throwing just 27 passes during that stretch. He's also a free agent but the franchise won't have to go deep into its wallet to bring him back.
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Regardless, Gabbert simply can't be the No. 1 option for Tampa Bay if this team is going to be a legitimate contender in 2022.
What about the only signal-caller who is still under contract with the Buccaneers? Former second-round pick and second-year quarterback, Kyle Trask. He didn't participate in a regular-season game as a rookie but he could very well be this franchise's future. According to Arians, Trask will get a legitimate shot to compete for the starting job in training camp.
Trask has a lot of upside but he's definitely more of an unknown after learning behind Brady and Gabbert in 2021. In three preseason games, he completed 29 of 55 passes for 312 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Coming out of college, Trask was known for his accuracy. He completed 68.9% of his passes for 43 touchdowns to eight interceptions on 437 attempts in 2020 with the Florida Gators.
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It will be intriguing to get a look at Trask's development over the offseason leading up to training camp. His ability to move the ball downfield means standout wide receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, should continue to get plenty of opportunities.
The only way that Tampa Bay will ever know if Trask is truly ready is to throw him into the fire and see how he responds. That could very well be what winds up happening in 2022.
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