The Buccaneers have wanted Teddy Bridgewater for years and he could represent the beginning of the end for Kyle Trask

Baker Mayfield returned to Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp on Tuesday, but the team went ahead and made the decision to sign veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater in order to add experience to the QB room.

It's a move that makes sense, as Michael Pratt remains sidelined with a back injury. There's also the contusion Mayfield suffered a few days ago that left the Bucs with just two active quarterbacks in training camp. Even though Mayfield is good to go, Bowles and co. knew they needed to add another arm.

That's because the two aforementioned guys are fifth-year veteran Kyle Trask, who has 11 career pass attempts under his belt, and undrafted rookie Connor Bazelak. Neither have a lot of experience, but Bridgewater has played in 79 games and has logged over 4,100 snaps over the course of his career. He even has a playoff start and a Pro Bowl nod on his résumé. Not only is he a veteran presence, but he's a leader and excellent model of what it means to be a professional.The Bucs have known this since he entered the NFL in 2014 and have had their eyes on him ever since.

"He's a pro's pro," Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told reporters on Tuesday. "It obviously helps to have our offensive coordinator [Josh Grizzard] that has a relationship with him. Todd [Bowles] has a good relationship with him. We had him in here in 2014 for the draft [and] there might have been a situation where we would have taken him if he fell a little further. And you know, a few years ago, he was what was behind door No. 2.

"We talked about that today on the sideline - we ended up with Tom Brady, but now we have Teddy on the roster you can have everything, just not all at once."

The "door No. 2" Licht referenced goes back to the 2020 offseason when the Bucs were trying to figure out what they wanted to do at the quarterback position after an up-and-down 7-9 campaign the year prior. Bridgewater was heavily considered by the Bucs, but the team famously landed Brady and the rest is history.

Kyle Trask's job as the Bucs' backup quarterback isn't safe

The Bucs like Trask, but they're not bringing in a guy like Bridgewater if they felt completely comfortable with the idea of the former second-rounder holding down the fort in Mayfield's hypothetical stead.

They'd bring in someone who's more a camp arm, than anything. Not an experienced veteran that's had the Bucs' attention for over a decade.

"He brings us a wealth of experience at that spot," Bowles said of Bridgewater. "Obviously, we don't have it. Kyle's been here a few years, but he hasn't really played. Obviously, we have the new guy just coming in. So we need the extra arm. We think we need some experience in that room. And the more experience, the better. . .

". . . He's been in some of the same systems that's Baker's been in. He has a wealth of knowledge from a coaching standpoint, as well as a plan standpoint. He can't do nothing but help."

Right now, Trask is the backup to Mayfield, but that could quickly change if Bridgewater comes in and has a good preseason.

"We still have preseason games to play and all that, but right now, Kyle is our backup. That's the intention, and that's what we're hoping for. But yeah, everybody's competing," Licht said when asked if Bridgewater could unseat Trask.

When simply going off experience, Bridgewater should be able to challenge and unseat Trask, especially since he's familiar with Grizzard. The ironic twist for Bridgewater is while he's experienced - he hasn't attempted a pass since 2022 and has played just three snaps since 2023. He was out of the NFL and coached Miami Northwestern in 2024, so he'll have some catching up to do when it comes to getting in football shape.

That helps Trask, but it doesn't change the big picture. The Bucs likely won't carry three QBs on the roster if Bridgewater is his typical self. Therefore, Trask could easily find himself off the roster by the time final cuts roll around if he's unable to show the Bucs what they need to see over the next few weeks.