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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Dave Canales On QB John Wolford: “I Call Him The Sandman”

Originally posted on PewterReport.com | By Scott Reynolds | Last updated 6/28/23

All eyes are on Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask as the Bucs’ open competition for the starting quarterback job is set to continue in training camp in just one month. But Tampa Bay does have another quarterback on the roster who will also play an important role this summer and into the fall. John Wolford was signed this offseason because of his understanding of the concepts that new offensive coordinator Dave Canales is bringing from Seattle to Tampa Bay.

Canales’ offense is rooted in Sean McVay’s scheme, and Wolford spent his first three seasons in the league as a Rams backup. Wolford was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jets in 2018, and then signed with Los Angeles in 2019. He was on the Rams’ Super Bowl championship team in 2021. When L.A. claimed Mayfield off waivers late last season, it was Wolford who helped him digest the playbook and prepare him to play.

That’s a role that Wolford will continue to play for Canales and the Bucs this season as the team’s third-string quarterback – likely on the practice squad.

Dave Canales Likes John Wolford’s Football I.Q.

Dave Canales talked about John Wolford and what he brings to Tampa Bay this year in a recent episode of the Pewter Report Podcast.

“John’s fantastic,” Canales said. “He’s for sure – hands down – the smartest guy in the room. It’s not even close. He’s funny. He’s constant … I just love being around him. I heard great things about him through [Seahawks offensive coordinator] Shane [Waldron, who came from the Rams] and so when we had an opportunity to bring him in, he and I had a great conversation, and he came in and killed it.”

Wolford was a four-year starter at Wake Forest, but struggled for his first three seasons, completing less than 60% of his passes while throwing for 30 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. But he had a breakthrough senior season, completing 63.9% of his passes for 3,192 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions in his final season for the Demon Deacons.

His 59 career touchdowns rank third in program history, and his 8,794 career passing yards rank fourth at Wake Forest. In 2014, he became the first player in program history to start all 12 games as a true freshman.

Wolford, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., has played in seven games with four starts for the Rams, going 2-2. He’s completed 58.7% of his passes for 626 yards with one touchdown and five interceptions in his brief NFL appearances.

But he completed a high rate of passes in the Bucs’ OTAs and mini-camp and has drawn high praise from Canales. Team sources have told Pewter Report that Wolford is the best third-string quarterback the Bucs have had in years in terms of talent and ability. Watching him throw the ball with such command of the offense and a high degree of accuracy, Wolford certainly doesn’t look like a third-string-caliber QB.

Dave Canales Has Given John Wolford A Nickname

Dave Canales has gone so far as to give John Wolford a nickname during the summer.

Let’s just say that the legendary closer Mariano Rivera better watch out.

“I call him the Sandman because he’s our closer,” Canales said. “He gets the last two or three reps of a period, and he just comes in and dials it up.

“He’s fantastic, and one of the coolest things to me is it’s a great feeling for a quarterback coach or an offensive coordinator when you know before the play starts where the ball should go, and it goes there. That’s John Wolford. He’s just like, ‘Alright, so this ball should go to the backline right here, and there it is, bang.’ Perfect, great job, John.”

For all of the noise about the Bucs having one of the weaker quarterback rooms in the NFL, Canales likes all three of his QBs, including his third-stringer. While Wolford is excluded from the battle for the starting job between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask, his steadying presence and knowledge of the offense will be an asset that Canales and the other signal callers can lean on.

And if the Bucs quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart falter or get injured, Wolford at least has more NFL experience under his belt than Ryan Griffin, last year’s third-stringer, had.

“We have a good room, and the chemistry is great,” Canales said. “I try to create an environment where it’s like, ‘Guys, we’re helping each other; if we help all of us, we’re all going to be better off at the end of this year.’ It’s been a really good group.”