Drafted as potential Tom Brady successor, Kyle Trask's preseason debut hints at waiting game ahead
TAMPA, Fla. — The size and experience of the current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbacks room is probably not lost on rookie Kyle Trask.
Saturday evening at Raymond James Stadium was a practice in patience for the quarterback out of Florida, whose selection with the last pick of the second round of the NFL draft prompted speculation he could be Tom Brady's successor. As Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians funneled through Brady, then backup Blaine Gabbert, and then later third-stringer Ryan Griffin in a 19-14 preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Trask waited to take his first snaps in an NFL game.
After two and a half quarters and 78 plays, he swapped out his cap for a helmet and took the field for the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Trask looked like the rookie he is in his first series, a quick three-and-out. His first play, a handoff to running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, went for no gain. When it was time to throw, he went deep, but overshot receiver Travis Jonsen. Bengals defenders tripped Trask up on the next play before he headed back to the sideline.
"I wouldn't say I was nervous, but I would definitely say I had butterflies," Trask told reporters after the game. "I usually get them before every game ... I was just very excited and happy to be out there."
Trask threw a few rainbow passes throughout the night. One could have potentially turned into a big play had wide receiver Josh Pearson made the catch down the sideline. Another was a completed 2-point conversion attempt, which brought Tampa Bay within two points in the fourth quarter.
Though many plays didn’t go his way — Trask went 4 of 15 on the night for 35 yards — he managed to move the chains a few times and showcase his capabilities once he got more comfortable. He threw into tight windows. He slung the football downfield.
"I thought Kyle played well," Arians told reporters after the game. "... I like his poise and where he's at."
The scrambles and the overthrows, the rushed passes and the sacks, are old hat for rookie NFL quarterbacks. In Brady’s first NFL regular season action on Nov. 23, 2000, he went 1-of-3 for six yards against the Detroit Lions. Then, as Trask did for the first half of the game Saturday, Brady waited his turn. And well, the rest is history.
It’s too soon to tell what will become of Trask, but Brady said he likes what he’s seeing from the 23-year-old.
“Kyle’s a very hard worker,” Brady told reporters Thursday ahead of the game. “Kyle’s out here early, stays late, works with the younger guys. All the things you’re really looking for in a young player.”
Trask had a strong overall final season in college, completing 68.9 percent of his passes and throwing 43 touchdowns to eight interceptions.
He got some NFL action Saturday. But with Brady still taking snaps at 44 and Gabbert seeming to have locked up the backup position, the waiting game will likely continue for the rookie.
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