TAMPA, Fla. - Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask will continue their fight for the starting quarterback job in training camp.
After three days of mandatory mini-camp came to a close, first-year offensive coordinator Dave Canales will continue to implement his new scheme without a starting quarterback named. Both Mayfield and Trask are set to split first-team reps as Head Coach Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers staff consider who will be under center for the 2023 season.
"Sometime during camp or right after camp, there will be a decision made," Bowles said, "It’s still a quarterback competition right now – I’m not going to award [anybody] in shorts and t-shirts."
Only two years removed from retaining all 22 starters from the Super Bowl-winning lineup, the Bucs are faced with a large amount of roster turnover headed into the 2023 season. Adding veterans like free-agent safety Ryan Neal from Seattle should allow the young and explosive Bucs’ defense to haunt opposing offenses once again.
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"I’ve been on defenses where we’ve just kind of been one thing, but [Bowles’] is so multiple," Neal explained. "It’s a challenge for the players too because you’ve got to learn it, but it just gives you such an advantage because offenses in this league are super smart, so you’ve got to be able to change pictures up and change looks and that’s what he is known for and what he is great at. That’s what I love the most about it."
"We just have to create [turnovers]," cornerback Jamel Dean shared. "We’ve got to disguise more [and] we’ve got to bait the quarterback into throwing into spots we want him to throw it to instead of just lining up and doing our jobs because those are the rules. We’ve got to create opportunities for ourselves."
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The one question mark heading into training camp is the contract situation between the organization and fifth-year linebacker Devin White.
The Bucs have found themselves at a crossroads with White, who demanded a trade earlier this offseason after the team picked up his fifth-year option rather than offering him a long-term contract extension.
"I know Devin wants to be here, he wants to play here," veteran linebacker Lavonte David said. "His emotions got the best of him. I know the type of person Devin is and I know he’s ready to get back out there and help us win.
White was in attendance during the mini-camp, however, did not participate in any of the team's workouts. Bowles insists that this is not a "Hold-In", where a player is only present so he does not receive a fine, and claims that White will be practicing with the team in late July.