“He Can Command The Offense”
August 26th, 2025
Was Todd Bowles talking about landing liberation troops on Leyte Island? No, instead, Bowles was talking about his new backup quarterback.
This season, unless something terribly goes wrong, Baker Mayfield’s safety net will be backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The long-time NFL veteran, who once started a playoff game, gives Bowles and the Bucs an experienced cushion if Mayfield happens to go down.
But the way Bowles spoke about the release of Kyle Trask, who is replaced by Bridgewater, Bowles sounded as if he needed a general to rally the troops.
“Well, obviously [Teddy Bridgewater] brings experience, but he brings a wealth of knowledge,” Bowles said. “He can command the offense right now.
“Him being older has a lot to do with it, but him being accurate and understanding what we’re trying to do has a lot to do with it as well.
“We had Kyle [Trask] for four years and it was a good four-year run. We just feel like we’ve got a better chance with Teddy.”
Bridgewater may be more accurate. But for a team with a real goal of making a playoff run, Joe thinks it boils down to Bowles has more trust in a guy with a winning record as a starter in 65 starts with 2,067 pass attempts under his belt — as opposed to Trask’s zero starts, 0-0 record and 11 career attempts.