NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons QB Competition, Packers

Buccaneers

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles now says that QB Kyle Trask will have a chance to earn the No. 2 spot on the team, despite the fact that QB Blaine Gabbert has the edge as a veteran.

“I’m comfortable with Blaine,” Bowles told Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com. “We talk a lot. You know, we’ve gotten to know each other over the past couple of years. He knows this offense very well. He understands the offense very well. He knows where to go with the football because he’s been in it. You know, that gives him the edge over Trask. That’s not to say Trask cannot catch him, OK? He gets the nod because of experience. Kyle’s going to get plenty of practice to get better. It’s how much better Kyle can get while Blaine is still the backup and how much can he close the gap if not take it over. But, I like Blaine. Tom’s our starter. Don’t get me wrong. Tom’s our starter. Blaine’s seen a lot and he’s been in about 10 years. He’s seen a lot and he should. . . . He probably has been in some tough situations. You just never know until a guy is in there full-time. . . . He knows what to do and he’s not going to panic when he gets in a game. So he’s like a security blanket right now. But anybody that’s a backup will have competition, and even certain starters.”

• The Buccaneers have hired former NFL DB Leonard Johnson to a scouting fellowship. (Greg Auman)

Falcons

When asked about trying to win the Falcons’ starting quarterback role, third-round QB Desmond Ridder responded that he’s not focused on winning the job and is focused on being a good teammate.

“I take it day by day,” Ridder said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter. “I’m not coming out here trying to win the starting job, right here, right now. My job is to come out here and to make myself better to them, make Marcus better to them and make the team better. So, that’s just my job. My role right now is to kind of bring everyone else with me. Bring the rookies with me. Bring all the guys around me with me so that we can become better.”

Ridder described that Marcus Mariota is taking him “under his wing” and helping him develop. 

“He’s like a big brother to me,” Ridder said. “He’s taken me under his wing. He’s taught me some of the nuances of not only becoming an NFL quarterback but just an NFL player in general. So, I’m excited to keep learning from him and keep growing.”

Packers

• When projecting the Packers’ 53-man roster, Rob Demovsky of ESPN thinks that RB Patrick Taylor will make the team after being predominantly a practice squad player the last two years.  
• Demovsky writes that Packers’ second-year WR Amari Rodgers has “plenty to prove” next season after being seldomly used in 2021. 
• Demovsky expects OT Elgton Jenkins to start the season on the PUP list but thinks Green Bay can have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL with OT David Bakhtiari and Jenkins healthy. 
• At inside linebacker, Demovsky writes that first-round LB Quay Walker will be an “immediate starter” and allows the Packers to play two inside linebacker formations. 
• Demovsky could see Green Bay looking for another upgrade at outside linebacker behind Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Kingsley Enagbare.