Buccaneers OC talks trusting QBs amid competition

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales is still building trust with quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask amid a competition that could run through training camp. 

"Talk to Baker, talk to Kyle Trask, and say, 'OK. Where are you? Where were you? Where are we going?' And then to just give them like some actionable steps," Canales said about his coaching style during an appearance on the "2 B's in a Pod" podcast, per the JoeBucsFan website. "And then once they know, like, you’re a part of their vision, you’re integral to their success and you’re there for them, they can fill that trust factor." 

Canales officially accepted the Tampa Bay gig in February, roughly one month before Mayfield signed a one-year "prove it" deal with the Buccaneers. Mayfield is now looking to put the worst parts of stints with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams out of his memory as he battles for the Buccaneers' starting job with Trask, an unproven 2021 second-round draft choice who has attempted only nine career regular-season passes. 

Canales explained last month that seeing who, among the quarterbacks, avoids turnovers this summer will help the coaching staff determine the starter for the Week 1 clash at the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 10. During the latest podcast appearance, the coach suggested both Mayfield and Trask will be encouraged to take some risks during training camp practices and preseason games. 

"Let’s make new mistakes. … Let’s find new mistakes to make," Canales said about the signal-callers. "You’re not just going to slam a guy ... because you make a mistake."

Canales added he wants Mayfield and Trask to focus more so on making positive plays than on how any one miscue could relegate either of them to backup duties for the regular-season opener. 

Such "culture-building," as Canales put it, will ideally remove some pressure from a QB1 eventually tasked with replacing Tom Brady beginning in September.