Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a key piece of their offense when Chris Godwin suffered a season-ending injury, but the team was able to make up some of the difference.
Losing Mike Evans in the same game didn't help matters, but the Bucs showed they have a wealth of talent at receiver in guys like Jalen McMillan and Cade Otton. It's something that has everyone so excited for what the offense could look like this season, but the house of cards could come tumbling down if the Bucs lose Baker Mayfield the way they did Evans and Godwin last season.
Former NFL scout and executive Pat Kirwan and ex-Buccaneers quarterback Jim Miller weighed in on Tampa Bay's situation with the former having a less-than-stellar view on things. As Kirwan put it, the Bucs had better hope Baker Mayfield doesn't get hurt, because nothing about Kyle Trask gives him any confidence the team can win with him under center.
“The guy has never thrown a touchdown, never thrown an interception, never been sacked, never started a game, and in three years, has thrown 11 passes. In the last two years, he’s thrown two passes," Kirwan said. "I would not play Baker one single down in the summer. I can’t afford to have anything happen to him. He knows what he’s doing, so I’m ready for the opener."
Miller chimed in to defend the Bucs a bit for sticking with Trask rather than signing another backup this offseason. His logic is that if Tampa Bay drafted Trask as high as they did, cutting bait on him would be an admission of failure.
That's not exactly a good reason to hold onto something that might not be working, though. One of the perks of Trask's contract running out this offseason was it afforded the Bucs an opportunity to get a more seasoned backup to sit behind Baker in the event he gets hurt.
To be fair, there wasn't an abundance of backup quarterback help available with guys lke Carson Wentz, Taylor Heinicke, and Mason Rudolph topping the list. All of those guys have more experience than Trask but it's hard to argue the Bucs are better off with any of them over him.
One key reason to bring Trask back is continuity and familiarity. He knows the Bucs offense and is a sounding board for Baker, in addition to being someone who can help first-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard settle in.
There's a lot of doubt around whether Trask can step in for Baker and make up the difference, but hopefully we don't have to find out. Tampa Bay's hopes rest on Mayfield's shoulders -- as it should be -- and losing him would create more problems than most backups in the league than Trask could solve.
