The Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently lead the Pittsburgh Steelers 14-7 as the second half begins in their second preseason matchup. Signed a couple weeks ago to be one of starting quarterback Baker Mayfield's backups, veteran Teddy Bridgewater put on quite a show in the first half. The former first-round pick completed six of his 11 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. While his second score to rookie Emeka Egbuka was a nice little toss, his first scoring pass to running back Bucky Irving was an absolute dime, according to Tampa Bay's official X (formerly Twitter) account.

“Teddy Bridgewater with a DIME to Bucky Irving,” posted the team's official account during Saturday's game.

If Mayfield misses any time this season, then this could be the first of many times that Bridgewater hooks up with Irving. The second year running back is set to take over as the Bucs' lead back and will certainly be used in both the running and passing games. Mayfield already has a good rapport with Irving. It's a good thing to see Bridgewater's relationship with the young tailback and other targets grow as well. If Mayfield does go down, will the Buccaneers turn to Bridgewater? Or incumbent backup Kyle Trask?

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Buccaneers' backup quarterback job still up for grabs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask (2) warms up for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

While Bridgewater briefly retired last year, he returned to the league later in the season as a backup to Jared Goff with the Detroit Lions. Bridgewater showed that he was still a solid veteran talent, and many teams reached out about his availability this offseason. Once it was clear Bridgewater wouldn't go back to coaching his high school alma mater, the Bucs pounced.

Trask hasn't shown the capability to come in and help lead Tampa Bay to a victory if needed. The former second rounder has been streaky in limited snaps over the past few seasons and hasn't looked the sharpest throughout training camp. If Mayfield goes down, it looks as if Bridgewater would give the team a better shot at winning. Will the veteran get past Trask and claim the role of Mayfield's understudy?

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