Bucs Sign A New QB To The Practice Squad

Despite Wolford having familiarity with Liam Coen’s offense from his three years in Los Angeles with the Rams, he regressed this year in training camp and suffered another injury in the second preseason game for the second year in a row. Wolford took a hard hit in the waning moments of the preseason game in Jacksonville and suffered a rib injury that kept him out of the preseason finale against Miami on Friday night.

Pratt was released on Tuesday as part of Green Bay’s roster cuts after serving as the team’s third-string quarterback through much of training camp. The Packers traded for Titans backup quarterback Malik Willis, who will serve as Jordan Love’s backup this season.

Michael Pratt Was A Winner At Tulane

Tampa Bay liked Michael Pratt’s penchant for winning big games at Tulane. Pratt, who was a Pewter Report Bucs Best Bet at QB this year, has the reputation for being a winner, and his record as a starter the last two seasons at Tulane was a remarkable 21-3.

He went 11-2 as a starter in 2022, helping Tulane finish ninth in the final AP poll. Last year, he missed the Ole Miss game due to a knee injury, but went 10-1 as a starter for the 11-3 Green Wave. While he has an NFL-caliber arm, he does not have elite arm strength. Pratt’s accuracy did improve throughout his career, including from 63.6% as a junior to 65.4% as a senior.

Pratt is not a prolific passer, as he only had five 300-yard games in his 45 career starts. But what he does well is put points on the board and avoid turnovers. A strong play-action passer, Pratt passed for 90 touchdowns and just 26 interceptions at Tulane.

His last two seasons were incredible, as he threw 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 2022, while passing for 22 TDs and only five INTs last season. Pratt didn’t even have the benefit of a true QBs coach at Tulane and went through four different offensive coordinators.

Pratt also has good mobility, rushing for 1,145 yards and 28 touchdowns in his Tulane career, including 10 in 2022. He is a natural leader who could challenge Kyle Trask for the backup job once he learns Liam Coen’s offense.

What Does Michael Pratt’s Addition Mean For Kyle Trask?

Bucs backup quarterback Kyle Trask is coming off his best preseason in Tampa Bay, completing 65.1% of his passes for 393 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Trask got extended playing time for the second preseason in a row, playing the majority of the third preseason game due to John Wolford’s rib injury.

But Trask, the team’s second-round pick in 2021, is in a contract year and his future in Tampa Bay past this season is unknown. General manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles are both fond of Trask, as is new offensive coordinator Liam Coen. The team would like Trask to re-sign with the Bucs, likely for one more year in 2025.

The addition of Michael Pratt should help the Bucs’ long-term backup quarterback situation. If Pratt is good enough to ascend to the level of No. 2 on the depth chart in time when he learns Tampa Bay’s offense, he could present the team with a viable option for life after Trask in 2025 or later. That could mean that Tampa Bay may not have to draft another young quarterback to replace Trask in 2025 should he leave for another opportunity elsewhere around the league in free agency.