Former Second Round Quarterback has ties to Tampa Bay's new Offensive Coordinator

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired away Dave Canales from the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night as the franchise's next Offensive Coordinator under second-year head coach Todd Bowles. Canales joins the Buccaneers after gaining experience as wide receivers coach (2010-17), quarterbacks coach (2018-19, 2022), and passing game coordinator (2020-21) with the Seahawks. He was on staff when the team won Super Bowl XLVIII against Denver.

At this point of the offseason, the Buccaneers only have Kyle Trask under contract at quarterback after Tom Brady elected to retire. Veteran Blaine Gabbert's deal expired at the conclusion of the season but it's not out of the realm of possibility that he returns due to his familiarity with the team.

Regardless, the franchise will be weighing its options moving forward whether that's rolling with Trask, exploring a trade, utilizing the No. 19 pick to find a new quarterback, or checking out the free-agent market.

Intriguingly enough, Tampa Bay's new Offensive Coordinator has ties to a former Second Round quarterback - Drew Lock - who is currently a free agent. Canales is coming off a season where he personally worked with Lock as his position coach in Seattle. He was originally acquired from the Denver Broncos in the massive trade that moved Russell Wilson.

Lock's four-year/$7-million rookie deal expired following the season and he's a restricted free agent. He served as the primary backup to Geno Smith in 2022, making three starts in six appearances and completing 67/111 passes (60.4%) for 787 yards with two passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Lock also rushed for 53 yards and two more scores.

The Missouri native still has potential that can be tapped and he has interesting physical characteristics at 6-foot-4, 228-pounds. He's only 26 years old which is less than two years older than Trask, who has proved nothing at the professional level.

If the Buccaneers do pursue Lock, it will be crucial for him to cut down on turnovers. He tossed 15 interceptions in 13 starts for the Broncos in 2020.

In his career, Lock has appeared in 24 games, with 21 starts, completing 421/710 passes (59.3%) for 4,740 yards with 25 passing touchdowns to 20 interceptions. He's also rushed for 285 yards and five more scores.

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