Buccaneers' OC Dave Canales Reveals Why They Picked Baker Mayfield to Start

Following practice on Thursday, Buccaneers fans got to hear from their new offensive coordinator, Dave Canales, on why they settled on Baker Mayfield as the team's starting quarterback.

The fear of the unknown. 

That is what has defined this offseason — following the retirement of Tom Brady — for practically every Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan on the planet. 

It would be naive to assume that the Buccaneers' executives, coaches, and players didn't share in some of that anxiety. After all, they didn't know who their own team's quarterback would be until earlier this week, either. 

Or so they claim.

When exactly head coach Todd Bowles and new offensive coordinator, Dave Canales, officially made the decision that Baker Mayfield would be the team's Week 1 starter in 2023, we'll never know.

But at least now we know who will be the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to start the season. 

READ MORE: Arrest Warrant Issued For Former Buccaneers Super Bowl Champion

Still, many people want to know why Baker was chosen to be the guy. And lucky for them, after practice on Thursday, Dave Canales took to the podium to answer that very question. 

#Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales explains why he picked Baker Mayfield to be the starter in Tampa. #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/zWP36oXchT

— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) August 24, 2023

"Lots of positives for both guys looking at it. And then thinking about what Baker has been able to do. A little bit in the middle of camp, Kyle showed, he's the real deal. And Baker felt the heat and had a couple of days where it wasn't quite sharp. He turned it around, had a fantastic first preseason game with a couple of drives that took us down, had a touchdown, the communication was smooth. And then he just kind of settled right in for that following week leading up to the Jets. Showing up to that practice, and just, a good feeling of like, we're settled here with this guy."

Canales went on to praise Trask, how he performed throughout the offseason, and why his play made this decision a hard one.

READ MORE: How the Relationship Fell Apart Between Buccaneers, Kyle Trask

"Everything felt like it was running smoothly. And then Kyle played fantastic in the game, so it really made it challenging. Just kind of fortunate going into the thing that we didn't just name a starter going into it without giving Kyle a chance to show what he could do. Because I think he earned a lot of respect in the locker room, all the coaching staff, the fanbase... for Bucs fans out there to see out there that Kyle is real. He's the real deal. I couldn't feel any better about our quarterback situation going into week one."

For Bucs fans, there are going to be mixed opinions on the decision. There's no doubt that Kyle Trask, a former standout at the University of Florida, has plenty of supporters who double as Buccaneers' fans. That said, there's also a large segment of Bucs nation that feels as though Baker became the guy the moment he signed in Tampa Bay.

Regardless of these different opinions, one thing all fans should agree on is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a better position as a team now, and moving forward, after having finally committed to one quarterback.

READ MORE: Baker Mayfield Speaks After Being Named Buccaneers’ Starting Quarterback

For more on this decision, and other training camp news, check out the Bucs Banter YouTube channel.