Following the departure of Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team had a very hard time trying to fill the shoes of TB12. The Bucs team kept an eagle eye on the play of their remaining two options Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.
Upon observation, Mayfield appeared to have better command over the offense which led the team to acknowledge his performance by giving him the starter job. However, not only did Baker get the approval from his own team but a Running Back from the Cleveland Browns also came out in his support.
Nick Chubb cheers on former teammate Baker Mayfield
Baker and Nick came into the league together as part of the Cleaveland Browns during the 2018 NFL draft. Mayfield had the honor of being the No. 1 pick and Chubb saw his luck open in the second round.
The 28-year-old’s venture with the Browns stopped in 2022 as the team traded him to the Carolina Panthers, yet, his draft mate Chubb continued to glorify the Cleveland-based team.
After learning the Bucs’ decision to make the former Browns player the starter, Nick expressed his happiness for the Bucs player, recalling his start with Mayfield.
“I’m excited for him. Baker, I came in here with Baker,” Chubb said. “He’s a great friend of mine. So, I’m excited to see him go out there and do well.”
Mayfield agreed on the new terms with the Bucs this offseason after losing his starter job in Carolina. He also had a chance to grasp the starter spot of the Los Angeles Rams but failed to do so.
Bucs announce Baker Mayfield as a Week 1 starter
The 28-year-old was reportedly brought in by the Bucs team to compete against Trask for the starting position. They assigned Mayfield to start the first preseason game and Trask to start the second so they could judge both athletes and make a somewhat informed choice.
After seeing their performance, the teams’ coach Todd Bowles declared that the former Rams player would be their week 1 starter. Bowles admitted that Kyle showed his worth in spring, but they decided to choose the Texas native’s 69 regular-season game experience to highlight Bradys’ position and announced Trask as the second quarterback.
“Baker’s our starting quarterback, Kyle’s our No. 2,” Bowles said. “We love everything Kyle has done. And he’s gotten leaps and bounds better than he was in the spring and he’s continuing to get better and we’re excited about him. But Baker’s our guy right now — experience-wise and just understanding the playbook just a little bit better. But Kyle’s on the come [up]. But we like both guys. We like where we’re at. Baker’s [No.] 1, Kyle’s [No.] 2.”
The Heisman Trophy winner’s performance in Week 1 should now reveal whether the Bucs’ selection was wise or not.
