Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask to Alternate Starts amid Bucs QB Battle, Todd Bowles Says

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is set to give both Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask an equal opportunity to win the starting quarterback job.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Bowles said Wednesday that Mayfield and Trask will alternate starts during the preseason with Mayfield starting Friday against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Trask starting in Week 2 of the preseason against the New York Jets.

Both Mayfield and Trask are in the running to replace Tom Brady, who retired at the end of the 2022 season.

Bowles' stance on the quarterback battle is consistent with the unofficial depth chart the Bucs released Tuesday, which listed Mayfield and Trask as co-starters:

During Brady's three-year stint in Tampa, the Buccaneers reached the playoffs three times, won two NFC South titles and won a Super Bowl.

Maintaining that level of excellence without Brady won't be easy, although the Bucs are a veteran-laden team with plenty of winning experience on both sides of the ball.

That suggests Mayfield may be the preferred starter among fans, as he would conceivably give the Buccaneers the best chance to compete for a playoff spot in 2023.

The 28-year-old Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, and while he went only 29-30 in his four seasons with the Browns, he went 11-5 in 2020 and led them to their first playoff appearance since 2002 and first playoff win since 1994.

Mayfield finished with just 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions after suffering an injury to his non-throwing shoulder early in the 2021 season, prompting Cleveland to trade Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers.

Splitting last season between the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams, Mayfield appeared in 12 games and went 2-8 as a starter, throwing for 2,163 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Mayfield is looking to revitalize his career in Tampa Bay, while Trask is hoping to kick-start his.

Trask, who was a second-round pick out of Florida in 2021, sat and learned behind Brady his first two seasons, appearing in only one regular-season game, and going 3-of-9 passing for 23 yards.

In his final collegiate season at Florida, Trask threw for 4,283 yards, 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions, which suggests the potential is there for him to be productive at the NFL level.

Mayfield will get the first opportunity to prove himself as the starter in the Bucs' preseason opener, but Trask is in line to get his shot as well.