Admitting defeat is difficult. Admitting defeat when the situation hasn't proven itself to be a failure yet? That's just confusing.

On Monday, multiple reports broke that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be narrowing their quarterback room to just two players. The move makes sense—with early-season roster spots being occupied by indispensable injured players Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs, the team has to shave off a couple players elsewhere. The puzzling aspect of the move was who they decided to get rid of.

Kyle Trask, the Bucs' 2021 second-round pick and long-time second-string quarterback, got his notice that he will receive the boot. Along with him, Connor Bazelak, an undrafted signing from Missouri who had impressed in the preseason, was asked to pack his bags. Those two exclusions left just two quarterbacks on the 53-man—obvious starter Baker Mayfield and 32-year-old Teddy Bridgewater, who returned to the NFL following his coaching suspension.

Yeah, you read that correctly—a coaching suspension. Sure, "Teddy Two Gloves" was once a household name in football, but if you haven't kept up with him recently, he has not attempted an NFL pass since 2022. Instead, he spent last year coaching his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School. Even when he was in a rhythm and playing every year, his statistics were never eye-popping.

There are two sides to how the Bucs’ fanbase should feel about these moves. The first is frustration, and that emotion specifically relates to Trask’s departure.

He was drafted after his senior season at Florida, during which he put up Heisman-finalist numbers on an all-SEC COVID schedule. He threw for 43 touchdowns with just eight picks, averaging close to 360 yards per game in an offense that never established the run. When he was picked, the entire fanbase thought he was the heir apparent to Tom Brady after a couple tune-up years in the passenger seat. Then, after the acquisition of Mayfield, he was crammed back down the depth chart, and now his release is pending.

Many speculators hold the opinion that Trask could have proven himself and earned the helm in training camp or during practice. However, one look at his history in the sport reveals that he has never been one to get the call solely because of his practice reps.

Trask is a rare breed of football player. Anyone who has played knows that at every level, there are players who can be called “practice warriors.” It means they overperform when it’s time for drills, installs or going live against the scout team, but when the lights get bright and the crowd is rocking, they shy away from the moment. Trask is the antithesis to this phenomenon.

In college, he sat behind Feleipe Franks—a middling quarterback who now plays professionally as a tight end—for an extended period of time. He never showed the coaching staff in practice that he deserved a shot as QB1. However, when Franks’ ankle gave way in Florida’s 2019 matchup with Kentucky, Trask came in and led the electric fourth-quarter comeback, scoring 19 unanswered points to win. He proceeded to lead the Gators to win a New Years Six bowl game that year, get even better that offseason and put together his Heisman case the next fall.

When the lights get bright, Trask has always put it together. The Bucs never gave him a shot under that pressure, and they are thus parting ways with unanswered questions.

Along with the frustration that accompanies a wasted second-round pick, however, the second feeling the fanbase has to have for the move is some semblance of understanding. It may not be their fault, but neither Trask nor Bazelak has ever seen bulk minutes in the NFL.

By retaining Bridgewater over them, the statement the franchise is making is that Tampa Bay has the surrounding pieces needed to be a legitimate contender this season.

Think about it: The Bucs are opting to run with the stability of a seasoned vet over the upside of higher-ceiling players. They want that stability because if Mayfield takes a spill halfway through the season and misses a month, they just need the guy who can take snaps and make the team competitive enough to nab one or two wins before Mayfield returns. The last thing they want is to rest the preservation of a high-expectation season on two inexperienced quarterbacks who could fall apart and go winless in a crucial stretch.

As a fan, if you see the Trask and Bazelak cuts and feel only one of the two emotions—frustration or understanding—that’s OK. They were both question marks, and the team clearly wanted the solidity of a period. However, the last thing you should want to see is one of them donning Saints colors ... especially Trask. If he follows the arc he did at Florida, he’s primed to tear up the field if he ever gets a shot.