MMQB: Bucs ‘Excited’ for Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask amid QB Rumors for NFL Draft 2023 | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not aggressively pursue a quarterback in the 2023 NFL draft.

The MMQB’s Albert Breer wrote Monday he’s “not buying” the rumors linking the Bucs to a QB.

“For one, I think the staff there is excited to see what they can do with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask,” he reported. “For another, I know when another team called them about moving down, with the Bucs potentially coming up, Tampa Bay didn’t show much interest in doing it.”

ESPN’s Todd McShay reported how “everyone is trying to figure out [Tampa Bay’s] plan.”

“The Buccaneers have been very quiet,” he wrote. “There’s some mystery around their approach, but some people have wondered if they’d be in on a quarterback if one drops.”

McShay mentioned Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker as a potential target.

When it comes to Mayfield and Trask, others may not share Tampa Bay’s enthusiasm.

Last year, the Carolina Panthers were the second team that saw enough of Mayfield as a starter and decided to move on.

He was slightly better during his brief run with the Los Angeles Rams, throwing for 850 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in five games. Still, the ship seems to have sailed on the 28-year-old being anything more than a high-level backup/spot starter.

Trask, meanwhile, has attempted nine passes in the NFL since Tampa Bay selected him in the second round of the 2021 draft.

That’s not a knock on Trask, because he was stuck behind Tom Brady in the depth chart, but it’s impossible to say with any confidence whether he’s a suitable long-term solution.

The draft will offer a clear barometer on where the Bucs stand with their quarterback situation.

If they wait until Day 2 at the earliest to address the position, then Mayfield or Trask should get a real shot to lead the offense. The arrival of a first-round prospect will indicate that projecting internal confidence around the pair was a bit of a bluff.