The Buccaneers' quarterback situation remains unresolved with the start of training camp looming, and as of now both Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask are still very much in contention.
Tampa Bay linebacker Lavonte David spoke this week on what he's seen from Mayfield through offseason workouts, saying that he already likes what he has observed in the 28-year-old's approach to his new team and is excited to see what the QB competition brings out of him.
"Obviously, Baker, already he's been 'the guy' and, you know, he's expected to live up to what everybody expected him to be," David said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, via joebucsfan.com. "Baker is great for our locker room. I like the way Baker carries himself coming in with a ready-to-work mentality. Everybody loves him already and the way he approaches practice is great to see. So there's definitely some great things to see out of Baker. He's a guy who's done it before -- took his team to the playoffs and done some great things so far.
"So the competition with those guys is going to be very, very competitive, and I'm glad to be a part of it."
Many expected Mayfield to be the frontrunner for the Bucs' QB1 spot once he came over this offseason, but the team made it clear that Trask would still have the opportunity to earn the role for himself.
While Mayfield has five years of experience starting in the NFL -- albeit with inconsistent results -- Trask was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2021 and since then has seen action in only one game. He went 3-of-9 passing for 23 yards, a sample size too small for any conclusion to be drawn from.
So with two players coming into this situation with vastly different NFL histories, one has to wonder what will eventually give one player the edge over the other, and how close to the season it will be when the Bucs decide to unveil the depth chart. So far, offensive coordinator Dave Canales has said he won't "rush to make any decisions," preferring to give both guys extended opportunities to prove their mettle.
But despite the competition, David said both Mayfield and Trask are taking the situation in stride, working alongside each other with a sense of camaraderie.
"During minicamp it was really fun to see, man, those guys are really having fun with it and they're helping each other throughout the way," David said. "So that's definitely something I love to see, as well."
