With 14:48 left in the second quarter of the Bucs’ first preseason game, all eyes turned to second-year quarterback Kyle Trask.

Head coach Todd Bowles said in the lead-up to the game that Trask would get a long look this preseason. After two drives with Blaine Gabbert at the helm, Trask would get the rest of the game. After being drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Trask is currently the only Bucs quarterback signed beyond this season. The team hopes he can be the quarterback of the future. But that is far from a certainty at this point. And so as many have asserted, this preseason is a big test for Trask to cement himself as the heir-apparent to Tom Brady.

Saturday’s Preseason Opener Could Prove To Be A Big Step

There was a little of everything for everyone when it came to Trask’s performance against the Dolphins on Saturday night. Head coach Todd Bowles noted as much in his post-game press conference.

“I thought he did a good job. He was put in a lot of situations that we practiced – the two-minute situation was outstanding,” Bowles said. “He made a good drive in the first half, he had the two turnovers – one of them we have to block better, on the fumble on the blindside. The other was unfortunate, but I thought he managed the game well. He handled situations well, he was in the game, he didn’t get rattled. He got set back some on 3rd & 22 and still got the first down. [He] got a first down across midfield to get us into field goal range. I thought he did well.”

Let’s start with the box score. Trask finished the game completing 25 of 33 passes for 258 yards. He threw for one touchdown and one interception while adding a second turnover on a fumble. His 7.8 yards per attempt was a very solid mark, although the two turnovers both led to Miami touchdowns.

Trask’s Night Was A Roller Coaster

Look beyond the stats and you’ll see an up-and-down performance with more ups than downs. On his first drive, Trask led the Bucs on a 15-play scoring drive that ate up over eight minutes of game clock. On the drive, Trask was 5-of-6 for 67 yards. He made several good decisions and throws throughout the series. The first was the decision to push the ball deep to Scotty Miller on 2nd & 8 from his own 27. Miller had a step on his defender on a nine route down the right sideline. Trask showed good mechanics on the play-action pass and uncorked a 52-yard pass down the right sideline. Miller, with his blazing speed was just a bit too fast and had to slow down and adjust on the pass. This allowed his defender to catch back up and break up the pass.

On the following play, Trask was able to move through several progressions before wisely dumping the ball off to running back Rachaad White in the flat before the Miami pass rush could get to him. White was able to gain the requisite eight yards for the first down and then some. These two plays really highlighted the pros to Trask’s game for that drive.

The Roller Coaster Hit A Dip

The following two drives would be the lows of the night for Trask. On 3rd & 5 from his own 30, Trask found himself under siege almost from the moment he received the shotgun snap. Both offensive tackles Fred Johnson and Brandon Walton got bullied back to Trask. Trying to create a play out of structure, Trask ducked out of one would-be sack. Then, another defender grabbed his ankles as Trask was trying to back out of the pocket. Trask again looked to White in the right flat to help him get out of trouble, throwing an off-balance pass to his running back. As White tried to corral the pass, Miami safety Elijah Cambell was able to hit White and take the ball right out of his hands for an interception.

On the following drive, Trask was once again facing an onslaught of a pass rush on a 2nd & 3. As Trask hit the top of his drop-back, he immediately had to move up in the pocket due to right tackle Fred Johnson losing to a speed rush from Miami defensive end Porter Gustin. As Trask moved up in the pocket, he tried to get a pass out to what seems like running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn as an outlet option. Unfortunately for Trask, he did not see edge rusher Darius Hodge behind him. Hodge, who had beaten Walton on an inside move, was able to swat at Trask’s arm on the load up, causing a fumble that Miami returned for a touchdown.

The Second Half Was All Up

In the movie “The Replacements,” quarterback Shane Falco talks about quicksand.

“You’re playing and you think everything is going fine. Then, one thing goes wrong. And then another. And another. You try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink. Until you can’t move… you can’t breathe… because you’re in over your head. Like quicksand.”

Credit where credit is due. After those two drives, it could have been a case of Trask falling into his own quicksand. But he shook off those two poor plays and turned the night around. Over the course of the second half, Trask completed 16 of 18 passes for 165 yards while orchestrating two scoring drives and a third would-be game winning drive if kicker Jose Borregales had converted his 49-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

Throwing With Anticipation

The highlight of Trask’s game from the second half was the anticipation he threw with. Two different throws highlight this for Trask. The first is his touchdown pass to Jerreth Sterns, who was running a slot fade against man coverage. Trask made an incredible touch pass, dropping the ball into Sterns’ hands. But more importantly, he didn’t wait for Sterns to get open. As a matter of fact, Sterns didn’t create much separation. The touchdown was a result of Trask trusting that his receiver would be where he needed to be when he should be. Watch where Sterns was when Trask released the throw (the 13-yard line). Bowles was impressed with the touch displayed as well.

“That’s a touchdown that we’ve got to take care of,” Bowles said. “He had a great throw on that, and he had a lot of touch on the ball.”

Ball Placement

The second throw was a tight window throw to Deven Thompkins as the clock ticked below 1:00 left in the game. This completion ended up being the play that got the Bucs into field goal range for Borregales’ game-winning attempt. Thompkins ran a deep crosser and Trask had to place the ball in a spot only Thompkins could catch it. The Miami defender had good, tight coverage. But once again, Trask trusted his receiver to make a play if he could put the ball in a good spot. And that’s just what happened.

Overall, Trask was not without warts. The turnovers were partially on him for holding onto the ball too long and not displaying the best pocket presence. Trask noted as much in his post-game presser.

“Especially in the preseason, you just need to just get the ball out a little quicker,” he said. “Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, I can look back and go somewhere else with the ball a little faster. The interception was a little fluky play. Luckily, we still gave ourselves
a chance to win in the end. That’s all we can ask of ourselves as an offense.”

Holding onto the ball cost him a sack later in the game, as well as another would-be sack if not for him breaking the tackle and turning it into a small gain from a scramble. But when you look at the positives, you could see anticipatory throwing, good decision-making, great ball-placement and moving through his progressions well. And while the deep shot to Miller was underthrown, it was still a 52-yard pass with good zip.

Overall, Saturday was a good game for the development of Trask. And the best part is, he’ll get the bulk of two more games this preseason to keep working.