Dave Canales Talks Quarterback Shopping

March 10th, 2023

The Bucs want two veterans to compete with Kyle Trask.

So the Bucs are seeking to sign two veteran quarterbacks. Do they want a fresh alpha dog leadership type in the house, or would that not blend well with in-house candidate Kyle Trask battling for the starting job?

This is not Joe claiming Trask is lacking as a leader of men. Joe has no idea if Trask will be that kind of guy at the NFL level.  But Joe thinks it’s a fair question.

Are the Bucs looking for a veteran to mesh with Trask, or are they mostly chasing a potential starter who can win games?

Joe went there on the Ira Kaufman Podcast with new offensive coordinator Dave Canales. Joe asked about the quarterback search and how much, if at all, the blend of personalities matters?

“Doesn’t. You look for the fit. I don’t want to say it doesn’t matter; I think everything counts. … But first and foremost for quarterbacks is does he throw it so they can catch it. That’s it,” Canales said.

“And as long as you’re not concerned with any off the field issues that might not bode well for what we’re trying to build as a team, an organization, and something for the Bucs fans to be proud of. As long as there’s nothing there, then we just go right to the football and, “Is this person a worker? Can he throw the ball so they can catch it, you know, and operate as a point guard?'”

Joe asked the question while considering the possibility that Baker Mayfield’s price tag might fall sharply in free agency to the point he becomes an affordable option in Tampa.

Mayfield, 27, was labeled a true alpha type when he got to Carolina las season, and then was celebrated for his leadership during his five-game stint with the Rams to close 2022.

42 Responses to “Dave Canales Talks Quarterback Shopping”

  1. Ate One Tree Says:

    Baker is the perfect veteran fit for us . Make it happen licht!

  2. Nicholas Carlson Says:

    This was before he knew he could get Lamar…

  3. Winny Testaverde Says:

    When The Bowles is finally flushed ( over/under 1.5 years )…this “Can Do” Canales will have a real future in time share sales.

  4. RumDude Says:

    I’d like to see Mike White and Cooper Rush compete with Trask for the QB1 role.

  5. Craig Says:

    They also have to be inexpensive. Yo me that points at Gabbert and someone like Dalton.

    I would prefer a veteran and a rookie, like Stetson Bennett in the late rounds.

  6. Stebobucsfan Says:

    I like Jacoby Brissett. Decent QB, decent stats in the NFL, decent price tag if signed and noooo drama in his NFL career

  7. WiscoJoe Says:

    Unanimous MVP and a generational talent. Those of you that don’t want Lamar are ignorant. Who cares how much money he costs? It isn’t your money and he’s going to win games. He’s more than capable of making up for lesser talent and he’s going to make the Glazers a ton of cash… especially when those creamiscle jersey’s come out.

  8. TexasBucsFan Says:

    Forget Lamar. Overpriced & to many injuries. Bucs will be stuck with a overpriced player sitting in IR. Go with Baket Mayfield!!

  9. Goatfarmer Says:

    There are some options, between Baker, Jacoby, Cooper, and Goobert.

    Any two of that four, and #2 will be #3 again. Might as well start calling him Rudy now, and get him a custom clipboard.

  10. Tye Says:

    Lamar style qb has NOT been sustainable in NFL history… The closer he gets to 30, the slower he gets and with lack of accuracy, his team will be handcuffed to dead weight at the qb position… Cam Newton is a recent example… He is only 33 but without his speed, he’s mediocre and so will LJ career will mirror that….
    The Ravens likely got the best out of Lamar…

  11. teacherman777 Says:

    Get Lamar Jackson.

    He’s worth 2 first round picks.

  12. Redeemer Says:

    Wisco, the money or picks wouldn’t scare me. What does is the injury history. Lamar is just to risky because of his style of play. I’m a firm believer the game is still won and lost from the pocket. Sure, it’s nice to run around and extend plays, but it also drastically increases injury risk. He’s also not a
    very accurate passer. I would say the same for Hurts. He missed multiple throws in the superbowl that cost his team dearly. Also you must tailor the entire offense to Lamar. He can’t run a traditional NFL offense, because of his limitations as a passer. Baltimore has seen him up close for 5 years now. They aren’t willing to guarantee him 200+ million

  13. Walter Says:

    No point in watching the games this year if our QB1 is a toss up between guys like Mayfield, Cooper Rush, Mike White, or Trashk.

  14. Goatfarmer Says:

    Walter, there is still good reason to watch the games, if you like watching the Bucs defense getting just smoked every game. That way the offensive line will be kept fresh so they can excel in Canaries’ easy run blocking schemes.

  15. Redeemer Says:

    Depending on the price, id take baker. He’s a proven NFL QB. I understand his limitations and deficiencies, but they could and probably will do a lot worse. If I had my druthers, I’d go with Jacoby Brissett. Of course it’s all dependant on price. Anyone they bring in, will want to compete for the job.
    .

  16. Hodad Says:

    Than don’t watch.

  17. Rod Munch Says:

    “You look for the fit.”

    IE, you make the QB run your system, you don’t adjust for the QB.

    I dislike this guy more and more as he continue to hear from him. Sounds like a classic, stubborn, boring, three yards and a cloud of dust offense. I hope he’s just a terrible quote, and isn’t Mike Shula 2.0, because Todd Bowles isn’t anything close to Tony Dungy 2.0.

  18. Rod Munch Says:

    Tye Says:
    March 10th, 2023 at 1:00 pm
    Lamar style qb has NOT been sustainable in NFL history… The closer he gets to 30, the slower he gets and with lack of accuracy, his team will be handcuffed to dead weight at the qb position…

    ———

    Michael Vick… Randall Cunningham… Steve Young…

    Yeah, running QBs have never done anything in the 2nd half of their careers.

  19. Bojim Says:

    I’d be fine with Mayfield as long as Trask gets a fair shot.

  20. SOEbuc Says:

    Trask was next to Brady for two years and is still PS quarterback.

  21. Duane Says:

    Rod Munch – Those guys learned to become accurate effective passers in the middle to later career years. Which is why they had long careers, despite starting out very poorly as passers. Lamar Jackson has become a reasonably good passer, but because he runs so often, he also gets injured often, missing about half of his games over the last two seasons. He will not have a long career unless he learns to stay in the pocket and pass much more often than he has until now.

  22. Duane Says:

    First of all Canales, Bowls, Licht et al are not going to telegraph who they’re looking at by naming as major traits what those players are good at doing or suck at doing as major factors. This is lying season.

    Whether we get any advance hints at who they want to sign or not, who knows. But trying to predict who they would like is mission impossible. At some point they’ll likely have visits and workouts by prospective veteran quarterback candidates, so we’ll get at least some indication of their interest then, though that can also be manipulated to throw people off.

  23. stpetebucfan Says:

    “as long as you’re not concerned with any off the field issues”

    Too bad he wasn’t around in 2015! Could have saved us the embarrassment of the blind drunk groper.

  24. Rod Munch Says:

    Duane – Well all the drama about Lamar is meaningless as the Bucs aren’t going to make any big moves, but, with that said, Lamar’s WR’s have mostly been garbage. Mark Andrews is a very good TE, although I think overrated, and outside of that he hasn’t had much. He had a one trick pony in Hollywood Brown, who is also overrated, and nothing beyond that. Also the offense didn’t do much to help him showcase himself as a passer.

    With all that said, I don’t care if he can pass or not, so long as he can make plays and score points. If you got someone like Lamar you’d design the offense around him, and if he’s not a good passer and isn’t improving, who cares if you’re scoring points. The Ravens never had any issues winning or scoring points when Lamar was QB, and people don’t seem to realize how their defense fell off a cliff in that time. Without Lamar, the Ravens are probably a 6-11 team, which is why they’re not going to let him go.

  25. SlyPirate Says:

    AND!!! … As Bucs fans know all too well … Not turn the ball over.

  26. Larry W Nieman Says:

    Lamar Jackson will not bring good results wherever he goes. Winston would make more sense, and that is a low bar.

  27. chark Says:

    Baker by far the best of the bunch, outside Rodgers..his highlights at cleveland show he can do things at all levels of field that none of the othersare capable..Carr, Jimmy G , etc..Baker has top 10 qb in the nfl ability

  28. Goatfarmer Says:

    Agree with the above on Baker. The way he came to the Rams on short notice and won spectacularly was impressive and sold me. They probably wish they could keep him and dump Stafford.

  29. Ben Harvey Says:

    Why do they need two vets? Do they think a Mike White, Cooper Rush would want to be a healthy scratch come Sunday’s? Why not just get a solid vet, and have Trask. Then some joe blow project QB like Griffen was for them as 3rd string and never dress. Makes.no sense to have a vet just scratched on game day. This is where there valur lies, working through observations on the sidelines. You cant have three guys up all the time, rarely at all.

  30. NEfan Says:

    Baker almost took KC down in the playoffs. He is starting to mature and make less mistakes. Problem is when he gets comfortable will he revert to his old A-hole ways. Brissett is another solid choice. Tjere’s a reason Ravens placed Lamar on the unrestricted franchise tag. He also wants his contract 100% guaranteed. Not a good investment for a guy that’s injury prone.

  31. JoBel Says:

    First of all even if someone wants to pay Lamar the enormous salary he is asking for, Baltimore is not going to let him walk. Second Baker Mayfield is trash, we would just be the 4th team on his list of teams to dump his ass when he s#!#$ the bed. 3rd There is a reason that Stetson Bennett isn’t a top tier draft prospect. Georgie Oline and WR anf RB made him look good. For the same reason a TCU quarterback is ahead in the rankings. I agree we need a FA QB on the roster to either expose Trask and show us what he has got. Those options should be Jimmy G ( who is injury prone, probably wants to much money, but took his team to a SB just a few seasons ago) or someone Canales knows well and could be a surprise option and that is Drew Lock. He never really got a fair shake but could be magic. And if Trask beats him out we are good. Hold off and draft someone next year or trade up and get one of the top 6 qbs.

  32. Mike Johnson Says:

    Bucs fans hate hearing this. But Winston is better than any available QB on the Market. This is what happens with the 35 mil Brady cap hit. You either get slim pickings or you just say, The hell with it and go for broke with Jackson.

  33. Rod Munch Says:

    Mike Johnson Says:
    March 10th, 2023 at 5:55 pm
    Bucs fans hate hearing this. But Winston is better than any available QB on the Market.

    ——–

    I love Winston and know for a fact he got a raw deal. While I had no issues giving him the boot when Brady was available, he is the best QB currently available without question (well, if he’s healthy, so I guess that is a question).

    BUT, with that said, Winston would be a terrible fit with Bowles wanting a boring game manager and a 3-yards and a cloud of dust offense. If you had Arians back (not Leftwich, but Arians) and you ran an agressive down the field offense where a gunslinger can sling the ball, then Winston would make all the sense in the world. But to tell Winston to just hand the ball off to the RB and don’t throw it more than 3 yards downfield and never, under any circumstance turn over the ball, well, he’s a terrible fit.

    No, Casey Keenum, Joe Flacco, those are guys that Bowles would want to run his offense.

  34. Rod Munch Says:

    To the people who say ignore Mayfield’s play in Cleveland and Carolina, and instead look at what he did with the Rams vs a collapsing Raiders team, I say right on, man. This guy is completely dedicated to football and would be a great addition to the team. I mean the guy eats and breaths football, in Cleveland he even lived at the stadium, that’s how much he loves football. When he brings that passion here, people are going to totally forget about the guy who was married to that model.

  35. FairMinded Says:

    Lamar all the way. I would be so damn AMPED. It would feel like when we first stole Brady away. LFG!

  36. BUCman Says:

    There is a reason all the top WR free agents refused to sign in Baltimore the last few years. They knew their numbers would drop drastically because Lamar is a running QB and only a mediocre passer. It’s Trask’s job to lose… period! We kicked the can down the road during the Brady years and now have to pay the price.

  37. David Says:

    Quit messing with all journeymen like Jacoby Brissett, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Taylor Heinicke and Drew Lock. Develop your own qb. Start with Trask.

  38. steele Says:

    There are big long-term issues that need to be addressed before making investments in QBs.

    Exactly what is this team doing? How long is the Todd Bowles era going to last? When will there be a full reset of this team from top to bottom, a whole new culture, or will this happen? Are the recent moves—Rah Rah Canales etc.—for the short-term, as in to simply keep the team functioning under Bowles until he’s gone, or is it to put in place something for a post-Bowles team?

    How can you decide on a QB until these questions are answered? Everything from the style of the QB to age, contract, etc. etc. depends on a lot of factors.

    It’s not as simple as “fit”. Fit what? If they know, they’re not going to say, so everyone outside is just going to have to guess.

  39. garro Says:

    Just stop with all the Lamar Jackson Hype please. Bring in Brisett and LFG!

  40. BelleGladeBuc Says:

    Lamar Jackson has led his team to a 45-16 record, winning an NFL MVP, leading his team to two playoffs, and winning a playoff game.

    A NFL veteran retread QB on the cheap, Kyle Trask, AR-15, Hooker or some other unproven rookie with potential in this year’s draft or next year’s draft are not even in the same talent class as Lamar Jackson.

    Steve Young was labeled a running QB who was not accurate, until he wasn’t, and when he had those labels he wasn’t nearly as successful as Lamar is at the same points in their careers.

  41. Jodi Sportcoat Says:

    Baker Mayfield sucks!!!!!Simple as that

  42. TBfan Says:

    With Miami out of the way we’ve already got a QB …No way Brady goes out West for San Francisco or Vegas because his kids are here. That was the issue before… it’s still the issue. Brady goes a year and a half hanging out…ya ok…Tom ,we’ll see you soon