Tampa Bay’s quarterback competition received its preseason plan on Wednesday.
Buccaneers 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 Insider Ian Rapoport says Mayfield getting the first start is “not a huge surprise.”
“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,” Rapoport said on Inside Training Camp Live. “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.
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.
Mayfield, who’s playing on his fourth team in two years, was signed on a one-year deal to be a potential successor to Tom Brady. The 28-year-old salvaged an otherwise disappointing season in 2022 after being released by Carolina and claimed by the Rams.
Trask, a second-round selection by Tampa in 2021, has very little playing experience in the NFL but is showing progress by simply staying in the race with Mayfield.
The showdown is one of the more impactful plotlines of the entire 2023 preseason and it will start with Mayfield’s audition this Friday night in Tampa.