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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account each week in the Bucs Monday Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Monday Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: I don’t get the issue with letting Kyle Trask have his year. If he does well it was a very cheap options for a year the Bucs truly need it, and if he does bad it set the Bucs up for a decent pick in the draft and you found out Trask is not the answer. We need to think long-term again.

ANSWER: The problem with just turning the quarterback duties in Tampa Bay over to Kyle Trask is that he hasn’t earned the right to be the starter yet. Let’s remember that Trask wasn’t a first-round pick – let alone the No. 1 overall pick like Jameis Winston was in 2015. Trask was one selection away from being a third-round pick, and that makes a difference. Of course Trask was not going to start ahead of Tom Brady over the last two years in Tampa Bay, but he was given an opportunity to rise up to the No. 2 slot on the QB depth chart and couldn’t beat out Blaine Gabbert.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The other problem with just making Trask the starter this year to give him a shot is that the NFC South is ripe for the taking again. Todd Bowles’ defense should be good enough to put the Bucs in position to win a third straight division title. He just needs a quarterback who will stay away from turnovers that tend to lose games and find a QB who will make just enough plays to win games. Rookie quarterbacks and unproven quarterbacks like Trask, who is entering his third season, typically turn the ball over at a higher rate. In his two preseasons in Tampa Bay, Trask has thrown two touchdowns and four interceptions.

Also, it’s worth noting that Trask’s former quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen said that he’s a “deliberate learner,” which can be interpreted as a slow learner. That’s not great news for Trask, who will now be charged with starting over and learning his second system with the Bucs from a yet-to-be-hired offensive coordinator.

QUESTION: Is there any buzz about Derek Carr to the Bucs inside the building?

ANSWER: The Bucs are evaluating all of the available quarterback options, and that includes doing the due diligence on Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr and what it would take to acquire him in a trade with the Raiders. Las Vegas has to trade or cut Carr prior to February 15 or over $40 million in his current contract becomes guaranteed and the Raiders will be on the hook for it.

Pewter Report published an extensive “Pros And Cons Of Bucs Aquiring QB Carr” article on Sunday that’s worth reading. To my knowledge, the Bucs are neither ruling out acquiring Carr nor going high speed in pursuit of him at this time. Tampa Bay has to get the right quarterback for 2023, and part of the equation is the yet-to-be-hired offensive coordinator. That new offensive coordinator will probably like to know which QB will be running his offense.

So, it’s difficult to say if there is any buzz inside the AdventHealth Training Center for Carr right now. It’s also worth noting that the team is being very tight-lipped about the offensive coordinator search, as head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht are keeping the team’s offseason plans close to the vest right now.

QUESTION: Will the Bucs draft Anthony Richardson if he (hopefully) falls?

ANSWER: Well, the first Gators quarterback – Kyle Trask – hasn’t panned out so far, but it’s unfair to draft a player by the helmet he wears alone. Anthony Richardson is a completely different quarterback than Trask is. He’s more of an athlete playing quarterback than a pure pocket passer type. What scares NFL team’s about Richardson is his awful completion percentage. Richardson was only a one-year starter in 2022 and started a few games in 2021, but completed just 54.7% of his passes at Florida.

Florida QB Anthony Richardson – Photo by: USA Today

Richardson completed 38-of-64 passes (59.4%) for 529 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions during the 2021 season. Once he took over as Florida’s full-time starter, his completion percentage plummeted to 53.8% (176-of-327) while passing for 2,549 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Richardson has NFL size at 6-foot-4, 236 pounds, and a live arm, but his lack of accuracy is a real problem.

The junior quarterback did rush for 1,116 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per carry in 22 games for the Gators. That’s an average of 50.7 yards rushing per game. But Richardson is not even an elite scrambling quarterback like Lamar Jackson was at Louisville, where he ran for 4,132 yards and 50 touchdowns in his Cardinals career while averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

Because too many teams need quarterbacks, Richardson will get drafted in the first or second round. But he’s a project who will need considerable time to develop and Richardson will need plenty of work with his mechanics and learning how to read complex coverages to be successful in the NFL. Neither Todd Bowles nor Jason Licht want to draft another quarterback of the future. The Bucs need a quarterback for the present day – as in the 2023 season.

QUESTION: How does Mike Greenberg manage the cap to allow the front office to not only find a QB, but also back fill the numerous expected free agent losses to field a competitive 53-man roster? Right now, I have a hard time seeing a clear path forward.

ANSWER: Mike Greenberg, the Bucs vice president of football administration and the team’s capologist, will work closely with general manager Jason Licht and the scouting staff along with head coach Todd Bowles to make some tough decisions. The Bucs are currently $55 million over the 2023 salary cap and need to get into compliance. There will be some salary cap casualties this offseason, in addition to Tampa Bay choosing not to re-sign some of their own free agents due to prohibitive costs.

Releasing tight end Cam Brate and running back Leonard Fournette seem like foregone conclusions. Those two moves save the Bucs over $5 million in cap space. And of course, the team can designate Tom Brady’s retirement to post-June 1, which will allow Tampa Bay to push $24 million of his $35 million cap hit this year into 2024. Those three moves free up approximately $29 million. Releasing veteran kicker Ryan Succop, who turns 36 this year, creates another $3.25 million in cap room.

The biggest questions involve keeping or bailing on left tackle Donovan Smith and receiver Russell Gage. Smith will be 30 this year and is entering a contract year coming off his worst season. The Bucs can create $9.95 million in cap space by parting ways with Smith and another $2.8 million by releasing Gage, who underwhelmed in his first season in Tampa Bay while averaging less than nine yards per catch.

Of course, releasing those players just creates more work by having to fill those roster holes – presumably with cheaper alternatives. The Bucs will likely have to do some contract extensions or restructures to free up more room to become cap compliant and also to re-sign some of their free agents and perhaps pursue some cheap free agents from other teams. Mike Evans will likely be targeted for an extension as he’s entering a contract year and his cap value is just under $23.7 million in 2023. Simply put, Licht and Bowles need to nail this draft and find several impact starters on cheap, rookie deals.

QUESTION: When do you think the Bucs will hire a new offensive coordinator? It has been pretty quiet lately on the interview front. Are they waiting until after the Super Bowl or until all head coach vacancies are filled?

Bengals QBs coach Dan Pitcher – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: The Bucs are being diligent and deliberate in their search for a new offensive coordinator. To my knowledge, the team has completed its first round of interviews with seven candidates – Klint Kubiak, Jim Bob Cooter, Keenan McCardell, Dan Pitcher, Shea Tierney, Todd Monken and Ronald Curry. There might be another new candidate popping up, but the Bucs are moving on to a second round of interviews and Pitcher will get an in-person interview this week, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. The team has not disclosed much information on the search process outside of which candidates have completed interviews.

I think head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht want to hire the right coordinator as quickly as possible, but they also want to nail this hire. Neither was in Tampa Bay during the 2000s when former head coach Tony Dungy went through three offensive coordinators in three years – Mike Shula (1996-99), Les Steckel (2000) and Clyde Christensen (2001). That ultimately ended with Dungy being fired after the 2001 season because the Bucs offense continued to be ineffective in the playoffs.

I suspect the Bucs will have an offensive coordinator hired within the next two weeks. And remember, Bowles will also need to hire a new receivers coach, running backs coach and quarterbacks coach on offense, and find a new outside linebackers coach on defense.

QUESTION: Is the offensive coordinator search going at the speed you expected?

ANSWER: The Bucs certainly haven’t rushed the hiring process for Byron Leftwich’s replacement, but only a few teams have made some speedy hires this offseason for their vacant head coaching or coordinator positions. As of right now, the Cardinals and Colts still don’t have a head coach and have gone through multiple interviews. Both of those teams will also need new play-callers.

The Raiders just hired Scott Turner to be their offensive coordinator and the Cowboys recently hired Brian Schottenheimer to fill that role. There are still offensive coordinator vacancies in Baltimore, Washington, Tennessee – in addition to Tampa Bay, Arizona and Indianapolis. Rumor has it that Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is the front runner for the Commanders’ play-calling duties after the Super Bowl. Bengals QBs coach Dan Pitcher could be considered the early front-runner right now, with interest in Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken still high.

QUESTION: Who is a wide receiver that impressed at the Senior Bowl that Bucs fans should be aware of?

Michigan State WR Jayden Reed – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: The Bucs certainly need an infusion of speed at the receiver position, as the team is expected to bid adieu to several of its free agents, including Scotty Miller, Breshad Perriman and Julio Jones. Tampa Bay may also cut Russell Gage to save over $2 million in cap room, and because Gage has not proven to be worth $10 million per season. If those roster moves occur as expected, it would leave Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Deven Thompkins and Kaylon Geiger as the only holdover receivers on the roster.

Tampa Bay will need to add several receivers to the roster for depth and competition during training camp. Many will come in the form of rookies – either drafted or undrafted – and one name from the Senior Bowl to keep an eye on is Michigan State’s Jayden Reed. He measured just under 5-foot-11, 191 pounds at the Senior Bowl and had a great week of practice, winning the National WR of the Week award, as voted on by the defensive backs he practiced against.

Reed, whom Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo recently profiled, had 203 career catches for 2,866 yards (14.1 avg.) and 26 touchdowns, with his freshman season being played at Western Michigan and his final three years at Michigan State. He had 59 catches for 1,026 yards (17.4 avg.) and 10 TDs as a junior, but his production dipped during his senior season with just 55 catches for 636 yards (11.6 avg.) and five TDs as quarterback Payton Thorne struggled.

With quick feet off the line of scrimmage, a second gear downfield, very good hands and a tough-minded attitude, Reed shined in Mobile, Ala., and should be a Day 2 pick. Reed, Houston’s Nathaniel “Tank” Dell and Virginia’s Dontayvion Wicks were the three big winners at receiver at the Senior Bowl.