Arians: Buccaneers QB Kyle Trask is 'Growing Every Day'
Rookie quarterback Kyle Trask's statistics from his NFL preseason debut may cause some concern, but Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians doesn't see it that way.
The Buccaneers' second-round pick took the field in the middle of the third quarter in Tampa Bay's preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday and went on to play the remainder of the game. Trask finished with only four completions for 35 yards on 15 attempts, connecting with tight end Codey McElroy on a two-point conversion following a pick-six by Bucs linebacker Joseph Jones in the fourth quarter.
Sure, a completion percentage of 26.7% and yards per attempt average of 2.3 is poor. However, Trask dealt with numerous drops from his receivers throughout the night and ultimately took chances that the team was pleased to see, even if they didn't end in success.
"I thought Kyle played well," Arians told media on Sunday. "I thought Kyle went in there and made some throws that guys needed to make plays for him. I like his poise and where he’s at."
Trask's first pass attempt was a deep shot to wide receiver Travis Jonsen, which was overthrown by a couple of yards as pass-rush pressure mounting. Trask would attempt another couple of deep passes down the sidelines, one being extremely well-placed but dropped by Josh Pearson.
In addition, some shorter passes were bobbled and ultimately not brought in by other Buccaneers' pass catchers including tight end Tanner Hudson, despite solid accuracy on Trask's part.
Should these passes have ended up complete, the box score narrative could have been drastically different for Trask's first career game.
“That’s just the way it was," Arians said after the contest. "That’s what he saw and we put some good ones out there, we just have to catch them.
"The one thing I really like about him – and he showed it in practice every day – the rush gets up in his face, there’s no panic and he’s really accurate," Arians said. "I mean, he threw that ball 60 yards down the field with guys right up in his face. He’s growing every day. The game isn’t too big for him. He’s going to be fine.”
Trask would appear to agree with Arians' thoughts on his adjustment to the speed of the NFL. The Florida passing product shared after his debut that he felt well prepared for the moment and the challenges that a pro-level defense would put in front of him.
"It wasn’t anything that caught me off guard once I got out there," Trask expressed on Saturday. "We like to practice at a good pace so we’re very prepared for these situations. I don’t feel like I was ever caught off guard in the moment.”
Trask surely has a lot more to prove over the remainder of the preseason and as he continues to develop with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is in no need to rush Trask onto the field in the regular season with Tom Brady and one of Blaine Gabbert or Ryan Griffin ahead of him on the depth chart, but handing Trask more reps throughout the preseason could go a long way as it relates to his development.
Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason updates, and other news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
