Buccaneers list Baker Mayfield 'OR' Kyle Trask as starting QB in first unofficial depth chart
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are keeping their starting quarterback plans very close to the vest.
In the team's first unofficial depth chart ahead of Friday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Buccaneers listed Baker Mayfield in the first-team slot and Kyle Trask in the second-team slot. However, the team conspicuously added the word "OR" between the two names as well, suggesting that either Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles hasn't actually picked a starter yet or the Buccaneers simply don't want to divulge who they've picked.
Bucs first depth chart lists Baker Mayfield OR Kyle Trask as the starter. Rookie Calijah Kancey is the starter at DT and Cody Mauch is the other rookie starter at LG. pic.twitter.com/kPnpiUKZAR
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 8, 2023
It's an odd decision that is perhaps also emblematic of the quarterback situation in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are in a precarious position after Tom Brady retired and must now choose between the 2018 No. 1 pick and a former second-round pick who sat behind Brady for two seasons.
Mayfield obviously has the experience — he's started 72 games and completed 1,386 passes for 16,288 yards, 102 touchdowns and 64 interceptions in five seasons. Mayfield also won a playoff game in 2020. He signed with the Buccaneers this offseason after a short stint with the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
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Trask, meanwhile, has seen almost no action since the Buccaneers drafted him to be Tom Brady's backup. Trask has completed just three of nine career passing attempts for 23 yards — all of which came at the end of Tampa Bay's 2022 season-ending loss to the Atlanta Falcons. But, Trask does have the in-house experience that Mayfield doesn't.
Buccaneers QB battle 'absolutely' tightened during training camp
Despite earlier reports that suggested Mayfield had the edge in June, Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales recently said Trask had gained on the veteran quarterback. Mayfield has reportedly struggled with interceptions since camp opened — with seven in nine practices, according to Fox Sports' Greg Auman. Trask, meanwhile, has "been doing a good job of not turning it over," according to Bowles.
The team has been rotating both quarterbacks with the first-team offense throughout training camp as well — likely another sign Bowles and Canales remain unconvinced about who should start Week 1.
No matter which quarterback they pick, the Buccaneers are in a rough spot. Tampa Bay has the worst odds to win the NFC South (+750, per BetMGM). Maybe Mayfield or Trask can change that, but their history suggests otherwise.
