Tampa Bay signed up for a quarterback competition, but is there any real competition at all?

Following the retirement of the legendary Tom Brady, the Bucs signed Baker Mayfield this offseason, in an attempt to generate a quarterback competition with former second-round pick Kyle Trask. Mayfield vs. Trask may not be the headlining heavyweight quarterback battle of media dreams, but both players were star collegiate passers who, by the accounts of the majority, have not lived up to those expectations as professionals. The Bucs are still a long way away from the start of the NFL season, so the fight for first string has a ways to go.

Bucs linebacker Lavonte David, on SiriusXM NFL Radio via JoeBucsFan.com, had a supremely interesting quote about one of the combatants—

“Obviously, [Baker’s already] been the guy… Baker is great for our locker room. I like the way Baker carries himself coming in with a ready-to-work mentality. Everybody loves him already and the way he approaches practice… So there’s definitely some great things to see out of Baker. He’s a guy who’s done it before, took his team to the playoffs and done some great things.”

This is a sizable pile of praise being heaped on Baker Mayfield from Lavonte David. While the competition is still open, no preseason games have been played, and anything can happen this is an undeniably good sign for Baker, implying he has a definitive leg up on Kyle Trask.

Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Two things to consider—

1. While the competition is still a competition and logic might lead you to think David was just praising Mayfield to toe the company line, which is a fair point, here is what he had to say about Mayfield’s competitor, Kyle Trask— “[He’s been] able to take in the offense and be able to, you know, kind of like lead guys and stuff like that.”

One of these is clearly not the same as the other.

2. The source. This is Lavonte David. A Bucs legend, Future Ring of Honor member, and top 10 player in franchise history. David is a soft spoken, well respected, team veteran. He is not the athlete who is slinging around hot takes or loose with his words. He is a reliable voice, who has been the proven heartbeat of Tampa Bay.

Whether the competition is more or less decided or very much still up in the air, backup quarterbacks do not often get discussed by their teammates in this manner.

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