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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: Why don’t the Bucs let Kyle Trask get reps with first team? He might look different out there with the starters, right?

ANSWER: That is what I proposed in last week’s SR’s Fab 5 column – that Kyle Trask start the game instead of Tom Brady so that the Bucs could get an honest evaluation of him with the starters. We’ve seen Trask, a second-year quarterback, throw to Scotty Miller and Deven Thompkins before in the preseason. But we haven’t seen what he can do throwing to the likes of Chris Godwin or Mike Evans.

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: USA Today

Trask did not look great in completing 3-of-9 passes for 23 yards in limited playing time in the fourth quarter against the Falcons. To be fair to Trask, he did not receive many practice snaps outside of scout team work as usual leading up to the Week 18 game in Atlanta.

When Brady sat out Thursday’s practice, Trask got a few backup reps with the Bucs offense rather than running the opponent’s offense. So, the coaching staff did not do him many favors by preparing him for action against the Falcons.

At the same time, a slant is a slant, a go route is a go route and an out is an out. Trask did not connect on six of his throws and some of those were tightly contested passes either because the ball was coming out of his hand a tick too late or the receivers he was throwing to did not create enough separation. The All-22 tape will better reveal what happened on those throws.

We’re entering Trask’s third year in Tampa Bay and we still don’t know if he can really play quarterback effectively at this level. Head coach Todd Bowles praised Trask’s work ethic, but there are a lot of NFL players who work hard behind the scenes yet just don’t have the talent to be a starter in this league. The truth is that we have not seen enough good play from Trask in training camp, the preseason or in Sunday’s game to suggest that he is a viable option to compete for the Bucs’ starting job anytime soon. If the Bucs organization thinks differently, it needs to think again because that’s only wishful thinking right now because he’s a former second-round pick.

QUESTION: Would Derek Carr be an option for Bucs? Or do you now something that the front office doesn’t like him?

ANSWER: If Tom Brady doesn’t return, I would have to think that Raiders quarterback Derek Carr would be an avenue the Bucs might explore. Carr, who signed a four-year, $121.4 million contract extension last year, got benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham late in the season and it seems like Josh McDaniels is ready to move in a different direction next year at quarterback. Carr’s deal only included $24.9 million in guaranteed money. The Raiders would only take a $5.625 million cap hit by trading Carr this offseason, and the team would save $29.25 million in cap space.

Raiders QB Derek Carr – Photo by: USA Today

With plenty of teams seeking an upgrade at the quarterback position, the 31-year Carr would likely be in reasonably high demand this offseason. The Browns gave up a king’s ransom that included a pair of first-round picks to trade for Deshaun Watson, who went 3-2 as a starter with seven touchdowns and five interceptions this year.

So did the Broncos, whose deal for Russell Wilson also included a pair of first-rounders. Wilson went 4-11 as a starter with 16 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. Both Watson and Wilson underwhelmed with their new teams, proving that trading for a veteran doesn’t always guarantee success.

Not only did both the Browns and Broncos have to mortgage their futures by giving up multiple premium draft picks, but they also had to pay both quarterbacks handsomely. Watson received a ridiculous five-year, $230 million contract from Cleveland that is fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap.com. Wilson’s new deal in Denver is worth $245 million, but only $124 million is guaranteed, according to OverTheCap.com.

Carr is due to make a base salary of $32.9 million in 2023, according to OverTheCap.com, and that’s a big number for the cap-strapped Bucs to swallow. If they were to acquire Carr via a trade, the team would have to restructure his deal, which has three more years left, to reduce his 2023 cap impact. I’m not sure this organization thinks highly enough of Carr to give up multiple premium picks to land him this offseason if Brady doesn’t return.

Carr was 63-79 as a nine-year starter with the Raiders. He completed 64.6% of his passes for 35,222 yards with 217 touchdowns and 99 interceptions. Carr was a three-time Pro Bowler from 2015-17 and led the Raiders to the playoffs twice, including going 12-3 as a starter in 2016. Las Vegas most recently went to the playoffs in 2021 after finishing 10-7, but lost in the first round at Cincinnati. Carr went 6-9 as a starter this year before being benched.

QUESTION: I hate when cowardly teams rest starters. It kills momentum. Call me crazy, but I think the Bucs would be much better off if the starters had demolished the Falcons instead of handing Atlanta the game. Yeah, I know. Conventional wisdom. Blah blah blah. Prove me wrong.

ANSWER: Look no further than the injury suffered to starting center Robert Hainsey, who tweaked a hamstring, to be proven wrong. In a perfect football world free of injuries, it would have been nice to see the Bucs demolish the Falcons, as you suggest. Tampa Bay played without several of its injured starters and led 17-10 at halftime. The Bucs surrendered 20 points in the second half when their backups took the field and only a handful of starters remained.

I know Bucs fans would have liked to have seen the team finish with a 9-8 record and have a winning season. But winning the NFC South division is way more important. Just ask the Detroit Lions, who will be sitting home and out of the playoffs with a 9-8 record despite a win last night over the Packers in Green Bay. The Lions would love to trade places with the Bucs right now.

In addition to losing Hainsey, the Bucs also lost tight end Kyle Rudolph (knee), who scored his first touchdown in red and pewter, and safety Keanu Neal (hip) to injuries in Atlanta. With several starters on the mend from other injuries, the Bucs wisely played it safe to get those players rested and healthier to face Dallas in the Wild Card round of the playoffs next week. That may not be the popular decision with fans, but imagine if Tampa Bay would have lost another starter or two in meaningless game in Atlanta. I’ll take a healthy team over a banged-up team with momentum any day.

QUESTION: Even if I don’t want Byron Leftwich as the Bucs offensive coordinator, I like the guy. If the Bucs fire him, will he end up back on his feet? Does he have the stuff to be a good coach some day?

ANSWER: Outside of the Bucs winning the Super Bowl this year with a vastly improved and more effective offense in the playoffs, I don’t see a scenario where offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich returns to Tampa Bay next year. I called for Leftwich to be fired a couple of times this season, first after the Bucs’ embarrassing 21-3 loss at Carolina in Week 7. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles decided to give him the rest of the year due to not having a capable replacement on staff is what I’m guessing.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: USA Today

Leftwich oversaw an offense that averaged 30 points per game over the 2020-21 seasons, but after losing some key starters due to injury (Ryan Jensen), retirement (Ali Marpet and Rob Gronkowski) or insubordination (Antonio Brown), Tampa Bay’s offense regressed to averaging just 18.4 points per game. That’s nearly two touchdowns less per game this year. It was clear that Leftwich lacked imagination and creativity to aid a less-talented group of players in scoring points this year.

Leftwich has a Super Bowl and three straight playoff appearances on his resume, in addition to working alongside the greatest quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady. But there is a reason why he didn’t get a head coaching job last year, and I don’t think he’ll ever get one.

Leftwich is a nice guy, but his lack of some of the basic understandings of football have been painfully evident in some horrible press conferences this year. If I’m a team researching Leftwich for a head coaching job or a coordinator position and I’m listening to his obvious flubs in press conferences, it doesn’t exactly foster much confidence.

I would be shocked if Leftwich gets an offensive coordinator role next year. He’ll get a glowing recommendation from his mentor Bruce Arians, but buyer beware. I think a quarterbacks coaching position is much more appropriate for Leftwich next year based on what I know.

QUESTION: Who would you like to see replace Byron Leftwich as offensive coordinator?

ANSWER: I’ve written extensively in previous Bucs Monday Mailbags and my SR’s Fab 5 column about my desire to see Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken return to Tampa Bay and lead the Bucs offense next year. Monken was with the Bucs as a receivers coach in 2016 and then called plays under Dirk Koetter from 2017-18.

He does a great job of mixing the run into his pass-first offense, and has shown he can work with a defensive-minded head coach in Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs have gone 36-3 with Monken calling plays, winning a national championship last year and making a return appearance to defend their title on Monday night against TCU after an undefeated season.

The Bucs’ brass is fond of Monken from his previous stint in Tampa Bay, and head coach Todd Bowles is familiar with Monken and the Bulldogs coaching staff. Bowles’ son, Troy, is a Georgia commit and will play linebacker for Smart’s defense in 2023. I could see the Bucs reaching out to him to see if there is any interest from Monken. He’s making $2 million as Georgia’s offensive coordinator.

I’ve also mentioned that former Texans head coach Bill O’Brien would be a good option, especially if Tom Brady returns. O’Brien coached Brady in New England from 2009-11 and called plays in his last two seasons there before leaving for Houston. But there are some strong rumors that O’Brien would return to the Patriots this offseason after spending the 2022 season as the play-caller at Alabama.

QUESTION: What are the Bucs’ top 3 needs in the draft?

ANSWER: That’s a tough question to answer right now. There is a reason why the NFL Draft is a month after free agency, so teams can see what needs are filled with veterans and what needs remain after the initial waves of free agency. The biggest question mark in Tampa Bay this offseason will be at quarterback, of course.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and VP of player personnel John Spytek – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Will Tom Brady return for a 24th season? More importantly, would Brady return to Tampa Bay for a fourth year? Third-string quarterback Kyle Trask is the only quarterback under contract for the 2023 season right now. The Bucs would love to have Brady back for another season after he threw for 4,694 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions at age 45. But if he leaves or retires, Tampa Bay will be in scramble mode to find a starting-caliber quarterback.

The Bucs could turn to the NFL Draft to find some competition for Trask, but rookie quarterbacks are usually coach killers. Todd Bowles found that out in New York with Sam Darnold. But a combination of a veteran quarterback, perhaps Jacoby Brissett, paired with another rookie could set the Bucs up for success in the interim and the long haul if they make the right draft choice.

After quarterback, the Bucs could use another edge rusher, especially if Anthony Nelson leaves in free agency. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has yet to develop into a consistently dangerous pass rusher and Shaq Barrett will turn 30 and will be coming off a torn Achilles in 2023. Tampa Bay could also lose either cornerback Jamel Dean or Sean Murphy-Bunting in free agency, so cornerback may suddenly be a pressing need for Bowles’ defense, especially with Zyon McCollum struggling as a rookie.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Bucs could use another offensive tackle, as Josh Wells won’t be ready for the start of the 2023 season after rupturing his patellar tendon. Wells will be a free agent and Tampa Bay could use an upgrade in talent and perhaps an eventual replacement for Donovan Smith, who turns 30 in 2023 and struggled mightily this season. Finding a talented speed receiver who could be an upgrade over Russell Gage and Scotty Miller would also be welcome to help open up the offense.