Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield probably didn’t envision being on his fourth team in his fifth season in the NFL when the Cleveland Browns selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft.
But that’s exactly Mayfield’s predicament as he’s looking to hold off veteran Kyle Trask in the unenvious quarterback battle to replace the legendary Tom Brady.
Mayfield, for his part, looked sharp Friday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mayfield completed eight of nine of his passes and threw a dime of a touchdown pass while his competitor, Trask, threw an interception immediately upon replacing Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield completed 8-of-9 passes and threw a touchdown pass for the Bucs vs the Steelers. 🏈🎯pic.twitter.com/tnloh3YDbK
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 12, 2023
The performance certainly caught the eye of Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
“He was composed. He did a good job running the offense,” Bowles said after the 27-17 loss, according to Jacob Camenker of The Sporting News. “He made the plays he was supposed to make. We’re satisfied.”
Mayfield, for his part, said he felt good after the game but still noted there is room for improvement.
“Felt good for the most part,” he told reporters. “Just operationally, we need to be a lot more clean on the offensive front.”
What did Mayfield think his biggest area for improvement was?
“There was a couple of run checks that I definitely could have gotten us into a better play,” he said. “Especially on the short-yardage stuff.”
Nobody is expecting Mayfield to totally replace Brady, one of the sport’s all-time greats. However, Mayfield playing with the consistency that has eluded him throughout his career would certainly go a long way toward helping the Buccaneers return to the playoffs.
