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TAMPA — For all intents, Kyle Trask appears destined for another redshirt year. It’s as clear as the enamel in Tom Brady’s smile.
“This is not a position I haven’t been in before,” the former record-setting Gator said.
Brady and 11th-year veteran Blaine Gabbert stand atop the Bucs’ depth chart as the No. 1 and 2 quarterbacks, respectively. Trask, meantime, is a lock for the 53-man roster as a second-round draft choice. But as the No. 3 guy, the rookie right-hander might find himself on the inactive list most Sundays.
Which gives him the luxury of observing, absorbing and logging one mental rep after another without the pressure of being tossed immediately into the NFL cauldron.
“In college, I had to work my way up, and so I knew what it was like to be the backup and not get as many reps,” said Trask, whose prosperous 22-game tenure as the Gators starter was preceded by three seasons of virtual invisibility, including a redshirt year in 2016.
“I mean, that’s the NFL; if you’re not the starter, you’re probably not going to get as many reps as the starter. So you just have to make the most of what you get and definitely be taking mental reps every opportunity you can.”
Hence the reason Saturday looms as highly significant for this 23-year-old Texas native. At some point after Brady test-drives the 2021 Bucs offense for a series or two (weather permitting) against the Bengals, Trask will be handed the keys.
Barring a catastrophic sequence of injuries, it could represent his most extensive game action of the year. Bruce Arians, not one to dole out superfluous praise, is eager to see what his rookie can do behind the wheel.
“He processes information extremely well, so just get them in and out of the huddle, get them lined up and let’s roll,” said Arians, who afforded Trask some snaps with the first-team offense at Thursday’s practice. “Avoid pre-snap penalties and all the stuff you don’t want to see. We haven’t seen it out here, so we shouldn’t see it (in the game).”
The initial chapter of Trask’s pro career has unfolded as most envisioned. Handed a mountain of verbiage, concepts and progressions to process, he has meticulously committed them to memory.
“I didn’t do a whole lot of drop-backs from under center in college, it was more just dropping and setting up from the gun,” he said. “So that was something I had to kind of get used to. But I think I’ve done a great job with it so far.”
At various intervals in training camp and minicamps, he has hit guys in stride. Other times, he has hit a wall. A lot of times, he has stood by and observed, particularly during 11-on-11 work, where Brady and Gabbert take the bulk of the snaps.
“You really don’t know what you don’t know at this point, if you’re one year in or two years in or three years in or five years in,” Brady said.
“So every year, you’re going to improve. You’ve got to be able to retain a lot of information, you’ve got to be able to really improve the weaknesses in your game as well as maintain the strengths in your game. But it’s just constant development, and it’s really up to each individual.”
As self-motivation goes, that hasn’t been an issue. To this point, Trask’s focus and work ethic have been universally hailed, as have some of his spirals. A Wednesday training camp highlight included Trask finding tight end Tanner Hudson in the left corner of the end zone in tight coverage.
“He’s a monster,” tight end Codey McElroy said. “He’s got a huge arm, he’s picking up the offense quick.”
Brady calls Trask, the 64th overall pick in the 2021 draft, a “very hard worker.”
“Kyle’s doing a great job,” the seven-time Super Bowl winner said. “Clyde (Christensen, Bucs quarterbacks coach) works extremely hard with him, to get him ready to go. Kyle’s out here early, stays late, works with the younger guys, so all the things that you’re really looking for in a young player.”
Chances are, he’ll stay late to Saturday’s party. With a wet field in the forecast, Brady and Gabbert likely will be relegated to cameo appearances at most, leaving the bulk of the snaps to Trask and veteran Ryan Griffin.
If Trask fizzles, no big deal. There’s plenty of time for polishing. Such is the beauty of a redshirt year.
“Fundamentally, he’s really getting better,” Arians said. “And I like where he’s at.”
Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.
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