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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are smack dab in the middle of training camp. In a week, the team will play its first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. Although the majority of starters will not participate in the matchup, it will be a good preview to see the potential changes implemented on both sides of the ball.
For the third season in a row, the Bucs will have a new offensive coordinator. Josh Grizzard, who was the team's passing game coordinator under former OC Liam Coen, will take over calling plays. With the addition of first round pick Emeka Egbuka at wide receiver, it's fair to say that Grizzard will have a multitude of weapons to get the ball to.
His quarterback, Baker Mayfield, is primed to make his third season in Tampa Bay his best yet. The former number one overall pick has finally made a home in the NFL, and Raymond James Stadium is that home. Mayfield is set to lead an offense that features Egbuka, future Hall of Famer Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving and more.
Yet Mayfield's latest injury raises some questions. For the past few years, the Bucs have had former second-round pick Kyle Trask as the primary backup signal caller. After being drafted in 2021, some hoped that he would be the future at the position once Tom Brady retired. However, Mayfield signed a one-year deal before the 2023 season, won the starting job and has cemented his spot. He's the unquestioned starting quarterback. Without him, can the Bucs still be a playoff contender? Or will the team backslide with Trask at the helm?
Buccaneers lack of backup plan behind Baker Mayfield is troubling
It's been fun for fans around the league to see Mayfield finally blossom. The former Heisman trophy winner flamed out with the Cleveland Browns, although that wasn't entirely on him. A failed trade to the Carolina Panthers followed, but that didn't even last a season. By the end of 2022, Mayfield was with the Los Angeles Rams. There, he revitalized his career under the direction of Coen and Rams head coach Sean McVay. That helped lead to his shot in Tampa.
The city has certainly embraced Mayfield, and he's quickly become one of the Bucs' franchise leaders. That is just one of the many reasons why this latest injury is troubling. Although Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has since reported that Mayfield will likely return to the field sometime next week, but this is still a concerning turn of events. If Trask has to take over for an extended stretch during the season, there's no telling if Tampa Bay will be able to remain a playoff contender.
The team has won the NFC South for the last four seasons and is looking to make it five in a row. The Buccaneers are certainly the deepest team in their division, and they have a pretty good chance at another postseason run as long as they stay healthy. As long as Mayfield returns like he supposed to next week, then most of these concerns could be quelled. However, would it behoove Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht to hunt down a veteran quarterback?
Whether it's a free agent (like C.J Beathard, perhaps) or trading for a veteran (a reunion with former top pick Jameis Winston? Or perhaps the Cleveland Browns' Kenny Pickett if he doesn't win the job in Cleveland), this feels like something Licht has to address. There's too much talent on this team for them to not make the playoffs. However, if Mayfield does miss a good amount of time, then a reason for panic right now will turn into a full-blown problem at what could be the most critical time of the season for the Buccaneers.
