Can Kyle Trask win the backup job in Tampa Bay?

Untitled designby:Nick de la Torre•05/15/22•

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With Tom Brady returning for his 22nd season in the NFL the starting quarterback job for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is set. Can former Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask win the backup role to Brady?

On May 10, Tampa Bay quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen seemingly shut the door on that thought. Speaking with ESPN’s Jenna Laine Christensen all but handed the backup job to Blaine Gabbert.

“It’s more of a learning curve. I don’t see him competing with Gabbert this year. I see Gabbert being the backup and Kyle being the developmental guy,” Laine reported. “He knows his time is coming.”

Trask is no stranger to earning his role. The former two-star recruit sat on the bench for nearly four seasons at Florida before getting an opportunity to start. Even then it took Feleipe Franks breaking his leg on the road at Kentucky for Trask to get an opportunity. He made the most of that chance. In 2020, his fifth year with Florida, Trask threw for 4,283 yards and 43 touchdowns to only eight interceptions. Florida finished the season with an 8-4 record, and Trask was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

Bowles gives a more optimistic

Todd Bowles has been around the NFL for a while. He was a head coach with the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. Bowles served as the defensive coordinator for the Buccaneers from 2019-2021. He was hired to replace Bruce Arians, who stepped down after the 2021 season.

Bowles was asked this week about the battle to back up Brady. The new head coach was much more optimistic than Chritensen.

“There’s competition everywhere, so there will be competition at that spot as well,” Bowles said. “[Gabbert] finished the season at No. 2. We like Blaine. Trask is going to get his chance to play and compete and if he’s better, he’ll be No. 2. If he’s not, he won’t be. But he will have a chance to compete. He knows that, and everybody knows that.”

The Buccaneers don’t need to hand the job to Trask but he is going into year two of a four-year rookie contract. If Trask is relegated to third-string it will be another season without Tampa finding out what he can do. With Brady playing out a one-year contract and his future beyond this season unsure, giving Trask the chance to win the job and play some mop-up snaps behind Brady could help Tampa’s future.

Whatever the case may be, Trask isn’t one to shy away from a challenge.

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