Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield Will Have 'A Lot More' Control at Line of Scrimmage

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are installing a lot of audibles for quarterback Baker Mayfield, which means much more control for him in year two.

Jan 21, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) prepares for a snap against the Detroit Lions during the second half in a 2024 NFC divisional round game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Year two of any player's time with a team is supposed to be the one they take the biggest leap forward. For Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, that should be this season.

However, given the fact he's going to be playing with his second offensive coordinator in as many seasons with the Buccaneers following Dave Canales' decision to jump ship to join the Carolina Panthers, some might expect less of a step forward.

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But Mayfield has some comfortability with new offensive coordinator Liam Coen being that joining forces in Tampa Bay isn't their first time working together. So perhaps that leap can still happen.

Part of facilitating that growth, it appears, is the ability for Mayfield to make calls at the line of scrimmage and to audible out of a bad play, and into a better one — it's something Todd Bowles has noticed about Mayfield during this year's offseason programs.

“There’s a lot fewer mistakes and ‘M.E.’s’ (mental errors)," Bowles said he's noticed from Mayfield. "He has a lot more audibles on his plate than he did in the past and he’s getting them down very [well]. ...I thought the chemistry and the connection with those guys and checking to the right plays was very good."

Wanting to see that offensive success continue will be big for Bowles and the Bucs, especially because the head coach also runs the defense on gamedays and has less time to help corral the offense if needed because of it.

It's no surprise, then, that when asked about what he's most looking forward to seeing on the field when the pads come in in training camp, he went back to the offensive install.

"Just the offensive system coming together as a whole and as a group — those guys getting on the same page, continuity-wise," Bowles said when asked about his training camp anticipations. "Seeing the O-line work together is going to be really big for us and the communication on defense is going to be really big for us."

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