Tampa Bay Buccaneers star wide receiver Mike Evans is tired of waiting for the team’s quarterback competition to officially end.
“We want to know who the starter’s going to be, you know, soon,” Evans told reporters following Wednesday’s joint practice with the New York Jets, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. “So we can just keep working and [the starting quarterback] can take control of the offense.”
Buccaneers insider and Pro Football Hall of Fame voter Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan reported ahead of last Friday’s preseason matchup between Tampa Bay and the Pittsburgh Steelers that free-agency signing Baker Mayfield “will start” over 2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask for the Week 1 game at the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 10. Mayfield then completed eight-of-nine passes for 63 yards and one touchdown against the Steelers, while Trask connected on six-of-10 attempts for 99 yards and an interception.
Mayfield started the Pittsburgh game, leaving Trask as the expected opener for this Saturday’s contest at the Jets.
It’s been thought throughout August that head coach Todd Bowles will publicly announce a decision shortly after the Buccaneers’ second preseason clash, and JoeBucsFan noted Thursday that “there’s a great chance a formal Bucs quarterback declaration will be made Sunday after Saturday night’s preseason game.”
It’s understandable Bowles would want to keep Trask’s spirits and confidence high amid a competition that seemingly doesn’t yet have a definite winner, but there’s something to be said for letting the team’s QB1 begin working mostly with his fellow starters sooner rather than later with the beginning of the regular season quickly approaching.
Unless Mayfield looks absolutely awful coming off the bench for the Jets game, the 28-year-old could be announced the winner of the battle by the time many fans head into work on Monday morning.
Tampa Bay closes the preseason with a home game versus the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 26.