Bucs Nation
The Buccaneers released long-time backup Kyle Trask and undrafted free agent Connor Bazelak, clearing the way for Teddy Bridgewater to assume the QB2 role.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler initially reported the news, with the Tampa Bay Times’s Rick Stroud adding that Trask sustained a shoulder injury in the final preseason game.
In an earlier move, the Bucs also waived Bazelak, a 24-year-old rookie out of Bowling Green who showed some flashes, but they intend to bring him back on the practice squad per Fox Sports’s Greg Auman. It makes sense to keep a younger, developmental project as QB3 on the practice squad, like the team intended to do with Michael Pratt, who was released earlier in the preseason due to a back injury.
But the prevailing headline in this signal-caller shuffle is Bridgewater’s ascension to Baker Mayfield’s primary backup in just a matter of weeks. Bridgewater came in and quickly made an impression, starting the team’s second game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and easily outplaying Trask — Bridgewater went 6-of-11 for 85 yards and two impressive touchdown throws while Trask went just 3-of-1o for 19 yards.
Trask’s time in Tampa likely ends after four seasons (though he didn’t dress in his rookie year). A second-rounder in 2021, Trask never showed the requisite talent to be anything more than a backup as the team quickly overlooked him for Mayfield in 2023. In a microscopic sample size, Trask went 4-of-11 for 28 yards in regular season play.
Bridgewater, who was initially retired this offseason, came in after a controversial suspension from his high school head coaching job at Miami Northwestern after attempting to provide financial assistance to his players via Uber rides, meals, and recovery services.
Bridgewater, 32, was a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Showing good potential and even earning a Pro Bowl nod in his first couple seasons, Bridgewater’s career took a sudden turn when he suffered a catastrophic knee injury that threatened his career and even his leg. He managed to recover but could never quite reach the same level.
He’s been a backup and spot starter for the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and Detroit Lions. His career stat line includes a 66.4% completion percentage, 15,120 yards, and 75 touchdowns to 47 interceptions in 79 games (65 starts).
