Since Todd Bowles last spoke in a public forum at the NFL Scouting Combine on the last day of February, a lot has changed with his Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the start of free agency there are were a couple of defensive players that were re-signed that we know Bowles and the Bucs are extremely happy about. On top of that, there is now a legitimate competition at quarterback after the signing of veteran Baker Mayfield.

Speaking at the NFL Annual Meeting in Arizona, Bowles had his first opportunity to give his thoughts on adding Mayfield and what it means for the Bucs heading into this season.

“It gives us competition, it gives us a warrior,” Bowles said. “It gives us a guy that’s gone to the playoffs before. At least you have a proven guy, someone to compete with Kyle [Trask] that’ll still make sure that we haven’t taken dips too low. I think when you lose the greatest quarterback of all time, everybody just assumes you’re going to be bad. At least that’s the narrative. But it takes a team to win a Super Bowl and it also takes a team to win ball games.”

Bucs Will Get Less Attention This Season

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Todd Bowles continuously reiterated that his team is still going to be competitive. Tom Brady can’t be replaced, but that doesn’t mean the team can’t have another winning season. He also discussed the reality that there’s not going to be as much hype or glitz and glamor around the Bucs this season with the retirement of a global icon. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“Tom is great by all accolades and he gets everything he deserves and he should,” Bowles said. “But to bring in guys that can still challenge and win, you just have to kind of prepare differently as far as what you’re trying to do – as opposed to saying Tom brought a presence with him that you kind of saw. Everybody else has got to earn their stripes and we’re good with that.

“It’s different because he was the greatest of all time, so naturally the fanfare that comes with it will be different. [The media is] not going to be running to Tampa, there’s not going to be a billion reporters on the sideline. There will be normal reporters, but that doesn’t mean you take a step down as far as your process of trying to win. I think the guys understand that. We have some great players on our team. We just happened to have the greatest on our team. But we still have great players on our team to compete and we’re excited going forward to see what they do.”

Todd Bowles’ Familiarity With Baker Mayfield

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch//PR

Todd Bowles’ respect for Baker Mayfield goes back to the quarterback’s playing days at Oklahoma. Bowles recalls visiting the school in 2018 and taking away a lot of positives from it.

“Everything he stood for as far as leading a team on offense, he had moxie, he had natural leadership skills,” Bowles said. “It’s not overblown. Guys naturally gravitate towards him. He has an excitement he brings towards the game and he’s hungry. I can live with that right there. I liked him a couple years ago and that we’ve got him now with an opportunity to have a chance to start, I think that’s a good thing for us.”

Mayfield has the most playoff wins (one) out of any quarterback in the NFC South division. Bowles likes the experience that he’s bringing into the quarterback room. Add in a new offensive system and it’s going to make for a good competition.

“He gives us some competitive juice to go along with [Kyle] Trask,” Bowles said. “Baker’s won in college, he’s been to the playoffs as a pro and he brings us a lot of leadership. I think this style of offense is going to fit him very well and I think it’ll be a good battle between him and Trask to see who can win it.”

Todd Bowles Has A Request For The Starting QB

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and ST coordinator Keith Armstrong – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Whoever wins the quarterback job, Todd Bowles has a direct vision for them. Given the talent on the roster, it’s important to utilize everybody around. He doesn’t want the QB to come in trying to save the day because the team has plenty of guys around to help out.

“You don’t need to be the guy,” Bowles said. “You need to rely on the 10 guys around you. We’re not looking for a guy to come in there and be Superman. We have great players, you have Mike Evans, you have Chris Godwin, you have Rachaad [White], you have Tristan [Wirfs], you have Ryan Jensen, you have Cade Otton.

“You have guys that you can play with and you have pieces, so you don’t have to be the guy. You just really need to drive the car.”