Bucs quarterback Kyle Trask didn’t throw a single pass during his rookie season.

The team’s second-round pick last April didn’t even dress for a single game.

Instead of donning a red Bucs jersey in 2021, it was a redshirt for Trask.

In fact, the only jersey he put on during the season was an orange practice jersey. Trask was the team’s fourth-string quarterback behind legendary Tom Brady, backup Blaine Gabbert and practice squad veteran Ryan Griffin.

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

“He’s not really even our scout team quarterback because he’s the fourth-string guy,” Bucs quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen told Pewter Report in an exclusive interview. “He alternates those reps.”

So is Trask ready to contend for the starting job now that Brady has retired after 22 years in the NFL, including the last two in Tampa Bay?

That’s something Tampa Bay will have to contemplate this offseason based on the limited reps he got in the preseason and in practice.

But whether or not the team pursues another veteran quarterback or wants to give Trask a shot at starting in 2022, here is what the Bucs think about Trask.

The team is very happy with his development behind the scenes.

The Bucs even believe Trask is better and has more upside than any of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.

Trask was chosen with the 64th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. The team thinks he would be drafted even higher had he come out in this year’s quarterback class.

So what has the Bucs excited about Trask’s development?

“The biggest thing we’ve done is get him a bunch of technique work between practices and after practice,” Christensen said. “Working on his technique, his arm strength, and we’ve really worked hard on trying to get his feet quickened up. He’s a good athlete, but just working on quickness in the pocket and working with his feet.

“We’ve worked on his stroke a little bit, too. We’ve had the luxury of getting the chance to do that. Usually you don’t have the chance to. There has been no urgency with him having to play this year. He’s dropped some weight with the emphasis being on quickness and his throwing motion.”

The 6-foot-5, 236-pound Trask is a big pocket passer. Physically, he is a perfect fit for Bruce Arians’ offense.

Yet Trask hasn’t really lost weight so much as he has transformed his body by muscling up and reducing his body fat index thanks to the Bucs strength and conditioning program.

“The strength coaches are working with his quickness and his weight and his body makeup,” Christensen said. “It’s John Van Dam, who is a quality control coach, helping him with this or that. I think it’s been as much body makeup as it has been losing weight.

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

“For these guys it’s the first time that all they have to do is football. There’s no classes, no other things. For a lot of these guys their body is changing a little bit because you are working on it all year-round. It is your job now. There is no distraction. I think he feels a lot better physically. We work on his feet – that’s with every quarterback. But with him he’s really benefited from that.”

Trask completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 7,386 yards with 69 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in his three seasons at Florida where he was a two-year starter. As a senior he led the SEC, passing for a record 4,283 yards with 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Trask’s favorite target  with the Gators was tight end Kyle Pitts, who was the Falcons’ first-round pick. Pitts came out in support of Trask on Twitter on Tuesday following Brady’s retirement announcement.

Trask had very few reps in practice during training camp. So it was no surprise he struggled in his first two preseason games in Tampa Bay. Trask completed just 4-of-15 passes for 35 yards with several drops against Cincinnati. He saw more playing time the next week against Tennessee where he completed 13-of-26 passes for 131 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble.

The good news is that Trask ended the preseason on a high note, completing 12-of-14 passes for 146 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in Tampa Bay’s 23-16 win at Houston.

“It gave Kyle a boost going into a long, long stretch of not playing,” Christensen said. “And also probably confirmed in his mind, ‘Hey, I can do this.’ You probably come into the NFL and you have some doubts until you do it, and then that last game gave him a little jolt. ‘Hey, I can do this – and that was fun.’”

The Bucs liked Trask’s improvement during the preseason and behind the scenes during the season. But it remains to be seen if the team thinks he’s ready to compete for the right to replace Brady in 2022.