SR’s Fab 5: Kyle Trask Has Improved, But Is He Ready To Start?

SR’s Fab 5 is a collection of reporting and analysis on the Bucs from yours truly, Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds. Here are four things that caught my attention this week, plus some random tidbits in my Buc Shots section at the end. Enjoy!

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FAB 1. What Did Kyle Trask Learn From Tom Brady?

Former Bucs quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen was right about Kyle Trask.

When he spoke about Trask heading into last OTAs last May, Christensen all but proclaimed Trask as the No. 3 quarterback – losing the battle for the backup job with Blaine Gabbert before it even started.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask and QBs coach Clyde Christensen – Photo by: USA Today

“I think it’s more of a learning year,” Christensen said regarding Trask. “I don’t see him competing with Gabbert this year. Although you know, he can do it, it’s just all the odds are stacked against you. You can’t rep everybody. It’s hard enough to get Gabbert enough reps. We’ll prepare Gabbert as the No. 2. There’s always competition. There’s always someone looking for you job, but I don’t see that being an either/or. I see Gabbert as being the backup and Kyle being the developmental guy. And we’ll rep them that way.

“He needs another year. He’s always kind of been that slow, steady developer, right? In high school, in college and I think this follows in line with exactly that. … He’s not the guy that just comes in and just flashes immediately. He has a methodical development to him.”

The fact that the QBs coach declared Trask as the No. 3 quarterback before the team even took the field for OTAs – much less training camp and the preseason – did not sit well with new head coach Todd Bowles.

Bowles, who is big on competition, didn’t like that at all.

Bowles was upset that Christensen made such a proclamation before any real competition began. (It’s no surprise that Christensen retired because if he didn’t, he would have been fired.)

Yet in the end, it was another redshirt year behind the scenes for the Bucs’ second-round pick in 2021. In an exclusive interview with Pewter Report near the end of the 2022 season, Trask discussed what he learned between his rookie year and his second year in Tampa Bay.

“My rookie year, it was like a crash course for me,” Trask said. “In Year 1, I’m in the room, obviously a more veteran team than many other teams. Very intellectual guys in the building, so when you’re a young player coming in, it feels like a crash course a lot of times. Just having that time and experience, time in the room with all of those older quarterbacks that we have, a lot of their knowledge is rubbing off on me, and I’m doing my best to stay locked in. Get as much out of it as I can.”

Bucs QBs Kyle Trask, Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Trask had the benefit of not only learning from two older veterans in Gabbert and Ryan Griffin, but more importantly, Tom Brady – the greatest to ever play the position in the NFL. Trask spoke about what he learned from each of the QBs he was exposed to over the last two years.

“A lot of people admire Tom’s poise in the pocket,” Trask said. “He can have a million things going on around him, he’s great at his feet [not getting] choppy. He just stays calm in the pocket. That’s definitely something being around that every single day and seeing that every day, I really try to bring that into my own game the best that I can.”

Trask spent the last two years with Christensen working on his footwork – making it quicker – and tightening his release.

“That’s what sets a lot of great NFL quarterbacks apart from the others,” Trask said. “Having great feet, always having the ability to adjust their body in certain positions, and being able to make certain throws that a lot of other people cannot. That was a big focus for me. Clyde really pressed me about that when I first got here last year is feet, being as quick as you can, and I’ve been trying to get faster and faster with time.

“I slimmed down a lot, I’m not running the quarterback power anymore like I was in college, so I probably lost at least 10-15 pounds. I’m about 230-233, whereas in college, I was like 245 running downhill [laughs]. That was a great time, don’t get me wrong, but it’s kind of hard to go downhill every play against Devin White.”

Although Trask lost out on the backup quarterback job to Gabbert over the summer, he spent the most time with the 34-year old backup and the competition actually propelled Gabbert to have his best training camp in Tampa Bay.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask and Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

“Blaine, he’s tough as nails and he’s a great competitor,” Trask said. “He really just keeps that competitive spirit alive in the quarterback room.”

Griffin told Trask how important it was to develop relationships with his offensive teammates behind the scenes even though he was buried on the depth chart. More on that later in SR’s Fab 5.

“Griff [Ryan Griffin], he’s a great veteran, a great student of the game,” Trask said. “He’s really taken me in and showed me how to break down certain parts of film and things I can add into my routine off the field.

“Overall, I’ve just learned so much from those guys, and I’m just grateful to be in this meeting room, in this position that I’m in. I’m just trying to make the most of it and use it to my advantage while I have it.”

FAB 2. Kyle Trask Used Scout Team Work To Sharpen Skills

Kyle Trask was the third-string quarterback last year, but with Tom Brady getting the majority of the starting reps, backup QB Blaine Gabbert often served as Tampa Bay’s scout team quarterback. Though, with the 45-year old Brady routinely taking one practice off per week to rest his arm during the season, Trask received more scout team reps as a result.

And the Bucs’ second-round pick made the most of them behind the scenes. Even though he was running the opponent’s offense, Trask was preparing as if he were the Bucs starter.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Every player has their own situation they’re in,” Trask told Pewter Report. “For me, obviously, I can see [starting] potentially happening down the road. What’s best for me is to try to prepare myself like I have been doing the best I can, prepare myself for that moment starting now.

“Instead of … a lot of players would be like, ‘Oh, when that opportunity comes then I’m going to lock in.’ In my case, I feel like I should lock in sooner so that I can just build on that in the offseason if that’s the case and I become the starter [in 2023].”

That was good thinking on Trask’s part. Brady retired from football this offseason, and it’s unlikely that Gabbert and Ryan Griffin will be re-signed as the Bucs are looking to reboot the quarterback position around Trask under new coordinator Dave Canales. Trask will be given every opportunity to win the starting job this season and will draw from last year’s training camp and his scout team experience the last two years as he heads into a pivotal offseason in Tampa Bay.

“I think training camp went well,” Trask said. “Obviously, there are some things you think you can get better at. I think I made a lot of strides compared to [my rookie] year, and I think I made a lot of strides from where I’m at now compared to this past training camp and preseason. I’m just trying to put my foot on the gas, it’s all you can do. You can’t control the future, you don’t know what’s going to happen, the only thing I can control is trying to better myself every day, and I’m just going to continue to do that.

“I’ve been trying to work a lot with the young guys Deven Thompkins, Kaylon Geiger Sr., and those guys. We’ve got in some great work this past preseason, and I’m just trying to mesh with whoever I’m in with. It is a great thing to do on the scout team – taking advantage of that time going against the No. 1 defense. This is a starting NFL defense. It’s legit. Just playing up to that speed and naturally picking it up as time goes on.”

Veteran Bucs safety Logan Ryan was impressed with how hard Trask worked last year and how he fared against the starting defense.

“I think with Trask – what people don’t see right now is he’s not getting a lot of reps in the game, but he’s doing a lot of reps behind the scenes,” Ryan told Pewter Report. “He’s in the weight room. In the bye week, I was around rehabbing, and I saw him a lot in here with no one around. I’ve seen him pull the young receivers that no one knows their names right now, and Trask is just throwing extra with them.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“When you see some of these guys get an opportunity, it’s because of what they’re doing when no one’s seeing them. So I think he’s taking advantage of the time that he has to try to get better and not just sit and coast.”

Trask used the practices against Tampa Bay’s starting defense to really test what he could and couldn’t do with his arm in terms of the throws he was able to make.

“It all starts with your mindset,” Trask told Pewter Report. “Scout team – you can obviously go into and think, ‘Oh, it’s just scout team, it doesn’t really matter.’ But for me, with the limited reps I have, I want to treat them like game reps and get the most out of them.

“With throwing into windows and things like that, you’re able to kind of experiment a little bit. You still want to have intent and treat them like game reps, but you realize this is a starting NFL defense, you have to be cautious. Some of these tight windows aren’t as open as they used to be. You put that in your back pocket and you learn from it.”

Trask’s ability to throw the ball really impressed Ryan and several Bucs defenders this past season.

“He’s got great arm talent, accuracy, and ball velocity,” the veteran safety said. “He puts the ball in some place you’re like, ‘Woah, that’s a high-level throw for a young player.’ I think the arm talent, the work he’s doing behind the scenes when he doesn’t have to, that’s what really good players do in the league that last, it will pay dividends for him in the future.”

One person who got a front row seat to watch Trask go up against his first-team defense was Todd Bowles. The Bucs head coach and defensive play-caller not only got to see Trask work against his defense, but also work when no one else was looking.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: USA Today

“Since he’s been here, every time I look out my window, he’s out there working on his own,” Bowles said. “He has the greatest resolve and toughness and inner strength almost than any person I’ve seen. A young guy coming out – he prepares every day. When his time comes, he’s going to be ready because I see him working at it every day. He has inner toughness, he has inner strength, and he has the drive and the will to win. If you put that together, given the opportunity, I think he’s going to take advantage of it.”

Being a scout team quarterback is like walking a fine line between taking too many risks, which could cause coaches to doubt a young QB’s ability, and taking enough risks with throws to impress the coaches. Trask felt like he did a good job straddling the line last year.

“I’ve been feeling really good, I’ve been seeing a lot of progress in myself,” Trask said. “I’m going to try to continue to make as many strides as I can whenever I get those reps. You’re only guaranteed so many reps, so I’m just trying to keep adapting and adjusting to that speed, and I think I’ve done a great job of that. I’m going to keep on pressing it.”

FAB 3. What Kind Of Work Did Kyle Trask Put In Over The Last Two Years?

Kyle Trask was forced to sit and learn over the last two years. His only on-field work after training camp was relegated to individual drills where he worked on footwork and his release, and the occasional scout team work where he operated opposing teams’ offenses against the Bucs starting defense.

Bucs WR Deven Thompkins and QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

So, what kind of work did Trask put in behind the scenes without much of an opportunity to get reps in practice? He started developing chemistry with the Bucs offensive players in the locker room and cafeteria for starters.

“Towards the end of his rookie year he started to, and I told him that was part of the job,” Bucs veteran quarterback Ryan Griffin said. “Especially if you’re not playing, getting to know your teammates and building that rapport and chemistry is what you have to do. It’s tougher when you’re not practicing, but you still have time to build those relationships.”

More than any other veteran, Griffin took Trask under his wing and really worked with him behind the scenes on what being a quarterback in the NFL was really all about. Backup Blaine Gabbert is beloved by every offensive player in the locker room because he’s been with the team since 2019. Griffin urged Trask to develop the same type of relationships with his Bucs teammates.

“It’s huge, football is all about relationships at the end of the day,” Trask told Pewter Report. “What we do on the field only lasts so long, but all these relationships we’re making here can last forever. Going back to college [at Florida], whenever I was not playing, I was always trying to keep myself involved in the team. Just doing as much as I can to learn and also build friendships or relationships off the field, always being a supportive team player, and it’s kind of the case here too.

“Being in the locker room for the second year around a lot of these guys and seeing a lot of the different personalities is really cool. Just been trying to do my best to continue to be a good teammate.”

Griffin has seen how Trask has taken his advice to heart and how he’s benefited from being in such a veteran quarterback room.

“He made a huge jump from his rookie year to now,” Griffin said. “He’s taken ownership of his work, which is what you want to see out of guys becoming a professional, and taking time to study plays on their own and work on what they think they need to work on. He’s made a lot of improvement and he has a great opportunity to learn from Tom and not be thrown into the fire. He’s got a great chance ahead of him.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask and RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn – Photo by: USA Today

“He took ownership of his work, and part of that work is your body. He’s getting better, but it’s tough – the situation he’s in. It’s like a blessing and a curse. He’s not getting reps, but at the same time, he’s getting to learn and see how the NFL works. He’s not getting thrown into the fire right away. He’s making the most of his opportunity and I’ve tried to help him as much as I can, but I’m really encouraged by the work that he’s put in.”

The Bucs will bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with Trask for the starting job. But make no mistake. Trask will be given every opportunity to win the starting job this year as he enters his third season in Tampa Bay. Playing in Dave Canales’ new, QB-friendly offense should help.

“Yeah, we’re very excited about Kyle,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said. “We’re very excited about him getting the opportunity to be the starter – we’d be very comfortable with that. [We’re] excited – I’ve used that word already but I really am – for him to get a chance to be with the starters in offseason, starters in training camp, starters in preseason, which he’s never done.

“He was a successful quarterback in the SEC – I mean, wildly successful. We took him in the second round for a reason – we didn’t take him in the second round just to be a third-string quarterback. Now, it has yet to be seen what he turns out to be, but we’re confident that it’s going to be very good.”

FAB 4. Jacoby Brissett Could Be The Veteran QB The Bucs Bring In

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles is a big believer in third-year quarterback Kyle Trask. But he’s also a big believer in competition, and made it clear that Trask will not be handed the starting job just because he’s the only QB under contract. He’ll have to earn it.

“I didn’t say he could be No. 1 yet,” Bowles said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I just said he can compete. I said he can compete. I see the work ethic. I see the toughness. I see the willingness to get better every day. It’s hard to get reps when you have a guy like Tom Brady in front of you that’s playing all the time. So, he’ll have an opportunity to compete to become No. 1. That’s all you can ask for in this league.

QB Jacoby Brissett – Photo by: USA Today

“You don’t give anybody anything. So, we’ll bring in some competition obviously, but at the same time, I like his work ethic. I like his determination. He’s one of those guys, when the cameras are off, he’s working. And that’s what you can appreciate about him. That’s the best I can tell you.”

So, which veteran quarterback will compete with Trask?

It won’t be Jimmy Garoppolo, who will be too expensive and is oft-injured. It’s unlikely to be Carson Wentz, who has also struggled with injuries and effectiveness.

The Bucs will be bargain shopping for a quarterback this year as the team will use the 2023 season to correct its salary cap issues that stem partly from absorbing Tom Brady’s $35 million dead cap hit. That leaves journeymen like Jacoby Brissett, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Taylor Heinicke and Drew Lock, who spent last year with new offensive coordinator Dave Canales in Seattle, as more likely options.

Brissett and Mayfield make the most sense, as I’ve written about in a previous SR’s Fab 5 column over a month ago in February. But Bowles may have given us a hint as to which quarterback Tampa Bay will be targeting when free agency begins next week.

When asked at the Combine what he looks for in a quarterback Bowles’ answer provided some real clues.

“Obviously intelligence, number one,” Bowles said. “You don’t want to lose the games, so you’ve got to be smart, which everybody else does [too]. Intelligence, arm strength, how well you know your system and how well you can manage the game and get rid of the [ball], knowing when to take shots. You’ve got to have a lot of heart, obviously. There is going to be a time in the game where you’ve got to make plays. You’re not going to be just immune to everything. You try to make sure the guy is very intelligent and understands what happens around him.”

That seems to describe the 30-year old Brissett, who is entering his eighth season in the league. Brissett is known for his intelligence and penchant for not turning the ball over, evidenced by just 23 career interceptions compared to 48 career touchdowns. He’s completed 61.1% of his career passes for 6,059 yards.

Browns TE David Njoku and Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: USA Today

The 6-foot-4, 235 pounds has been 18-30 as a starter in the league with stops in New England (1-1) where he was drafted in the third round, Indianapolis (11-19), Miami (2-3) and Cleveland (4-7). Not exactly rosy numbers, but Brissett is a professional and would probably be a better mentor for Trask than Mayfield would be given Mayfield’s more flamboyant personality.

Plus, Bowles just lost to Brissett and the Browns last year, 23-17 in overtime, so there could be some recency bias that works in Brissett’s favor. The North Carolina State product made a big-time touchdown throw to tight end David Njoku on fourth-and-goal to send the game into overtime.

Brissett completed 64% of his passes for 2,608 yards last year with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He’ll likely come a little cheaper than Mayfield in free agency, too. Spotrac has Brissett’s projected contract valuation at $5.4 million in 2023, while Mayfield’s came in at $6.5 million.

We’ll find out soon enough as the Bucs are expected to sign a veteran quarterback – or two if Tampa Bay wants to add Lock as the No. 3 QB for the league minimum – early next week.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• KYLE TRASK HAS MUCH RESPECT FOR BRUCE ARIANS: Bucs quarterback Kyle Trask has a lot of respect for former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, who helped draft him in 2021.

“BA is still around and chops it up with all of us,” Trask said. “I learned a lot from him last year when I first came in, he’s just a very competitive guy. He’s hard on the quarterbacks, he believes in playing up to his expectation, and that was probably the first thing I noticed about him when I first got in. He’s going to be very tough on you, which is something that I like and something that I want. I respect him for that, and I’m just trying to make the most of my situation and all these great people that I have in the building around me.”

• BUCS AWARDED 2 COMPENSATORY DRAFT PICKS IN 2023: As expected, the Bucs were awarded extra picks in the fifth and seventh rounds as compensatory picks for losing Jordan Whitehead (fifth) and tight end O.J. Howard (seventh) in the 2023 NFL Draft.

• DOES DEREK CARR ACTUALLY MAKE THE SAINTS BETTER? Fox Sports’ Greg Auman had some very interesting statistics about new Saints quarterback Derek Carr.

THIS WEEK’S PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS

• COMBINE RECAP, MOCK DRAFT ANALYSIS ON THE PEWTER REPORT PODCAST: The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcasts four live episodes each week. We’re in the offseason now, so PR Podcasts will be featured on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. ET and Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. ET. Subscribe to PewterReportTV on YouTube and click on notifications and you’ll be informed about when the next podcast will be broadcast.

Matt Matera and Scott Reynolds recap the offensive draft prospects the Bucs met with at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Matera and Reynolds recap the defensive draft prospects the Bucs met with at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Matera and Adam Slivon analyzed Pewter Report’s Bucs Mock Draft 3.0 on Wednesday’s podcast.

On Thursday, Matera and Slivon talked about which team is the current favorite in the NFC South division. Is it the Bucs? Watch and find out!

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