National Football League

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield unfazed by picks early in training camp

Published Aug. 3, 2023 1:48 p.m. ET

Baker Mayfield is competing for a starting job with the Bucs, something he hasn't always had to do in the NFL or college, but a week into training camp, he likes to feel a motivation he's felt before.

"I had to win the job at Texas Tech as a walk-on, got to Oklahoma and sat out a year and still had to compete for the job," Mayfield said. "And then in Cleveland, I got drafted and Tyrod Taylor was [initially] the starting quarterback, so I've had to compete my whole life. This is nothing new to me."

Mayfield, 28, was signed to a one-year, $4 million contract this spring, and he has a considerable edge in experience on Kyle Trask, who has just nine passes in two years spent behind Tom Brady with the Bucs. If there's a vulnerability for Mayfield, it might be in throwing too many interceptions, and after seven practices, he has thrown five, compared to just one each for Trask and third-stringer John Wolford.

"Today was better than the previous two," Mayfield said after Thursday's pick-free morning practice. "When you get the pads on for quarterbacks, bodies are flying around and you still have to go through your reads and take care of the ball. You're taking chances and trying stuff out during camp, but it still comes back to taking care of the ball. Today was a better day for the offense overall, and for me as well."

New offensive coordinator Dave Canales has said the top priority is limiting mistakes and turnovers, and head coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday night that Trask going multiple consecutive practices without throwing a pick is an encouraging trend.

"It's a great thing," Bowles said. "Their No. 1 responsibility is don't turn the ball over. He's been doing a great job of not turning it over."

All three quarterbacks have shown the ability to make plays in practice, and Mayfield said the competition between him and Trask will be good for both of them, now and moving forward.

"When the quarterback room is having success, it shows what this offense can be capable of," Mayfield said. "We're distributors within this system, just getting the ball out. ... For right now, it's take what the defense is giving you, and the past few days, Kyle and John have had great practices just doing that, going through the system, getting the ball out and making their reads. I think people are starting to see what we're going to be capable of."

Is Baker Mayfield still a starting QB in the NFL?

The Bucs have not decided how they'll play their top two quarterbacks in the preseason — their first of three games is a week from Friday against the Steelers — but they'll both have a chance to prove themselves in live action, potentially each getting a start and working with the first-team line and skill-position players.

Canales, a longtime Seahawks assistant who saw Geno Smith enjoy a Pro Bowl season last year after competing with Drew Lock in preseason, was asked about the competition Wednesday night and said he likes what he has seen all around.

"The timing of the snap is really critical for us, so probably a little bit of an edge for Baker to start off with in terms of the smoothness of the offense," Canales said. "But it just took a couple of days for Kyle to really settle in and then what we saw in the last two practices, Kyle really showed what he can do, stretching the field with his arm, getting the ball out quickly and making decisions. I am really excited about both of those guys and the progression that they have made throughout the last couple of days."

The Bucs haven't had a real preseason quarterback competition in nearly a decade, with obvious starters in No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston (2015-19) and a future Hall of Famer in Tom Brady the past three years. So there's an interest in the daily battle that Tampa Bay fans haven't known in a long time, and the team has been careful to alternate which quarterback works with the first-team line from day to day, setting up a fair fight that will play out over the next four or five weeks.

"It's just a heightened awareness," Mayfield said of what the competition gives him. "You're not trying to do too much, but just a heightened awareness on your own details, a calm in the chaos, making sure I do the little things right.

"I know I'm here for a reason, so just do my job. How well can I do the little things? You look at some of the greats in every single sport, they never get bored with the details, so I just have to continue to hone in on that."

Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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