Buccaneers to 'keep in touch' with Tom Brady amid practice absences

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was recently in headlines for celebrating his 45th birthday on Wednesday and after head coach Todd Bowles confirmed that the seven-time Super Bowl champion signal-caller will not play in the club's preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 13. 

There's more news regarding the future Hall of Famer ahead of the weekend. 

Per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk and the Joe Bucs Fan website, Brady has missed the team's last two practices. He was excused from Wednesday's session for his birthday, and Tampa Bay players were off on Thursday. On Friday, Brady was reportedly attending "to a personal matter."

Bowles didn't sound too concerned when speaking with reporters. 

"We’ll let him do what he needs to do," Bowles explained, according to Scott Smith of the team's website. "If he’s back tomorrow, that’s great. But we’ll keep in touch and we’ll monitor that." 

2021 second-round draft pick Kyle Trask, who is expected to remain third on the depth chart behind backup Blaine Gabbert until further notice, should see additional reps in Brady's absence. 

"He’s confident in where he’s going, he’s understanding things," Bowles recently said of Trask. "We’re putting him in a lot of situations where he’s getting some experience. That’s all we can ask for right now." 

It's unclear if Brady will take snaps when the Buccaneers face the Tennessee Titans on Aug. 20 and the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 27.