The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are excited about second-year center Graham Barton’s potential, and he shares their enthusiasm, recognizing he still has significant growth opportunities ahead.
Last season, the Duke rookie faced a baptism by fire, navigating a intricate offense while transitioning to a new role. Despite the challenges, he expressed appreciation for the steady guidance and support from his quarterback.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield proved to be a calming influence on Barton, providing words of encouragement instead of criticism. In a recent interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Barton praised Mayfield’s leadership and composed demeanor.
“Baker’s big thing with me coming in was he knew how much my head was spinning trying to learn the entire offense and learn the position and learn all that stuff at once. And so, Baker, I can’t say enough about how awesome Baker was to me this year. I’m sure there were many times where I deserved to get an ass-chewing from Baker. But, you know, he chose to just put confidence in me and help me learn and make sure we’re on the same page together.”
“He never brought me down. It was always about just giving me confidence. So Baker was really patient with me, and he had a lot of belief in me.”
In his rookie campaign, Graham Barton started in all 16 games he played for Tampa Bay, logging 1,111 snaps and earning a 55.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
This camaraderie is a testament to the Buccaneers’ strong locker room dynamic, which has helped the team weather challenges over the past two seasons. If they can maintain this unity, it could be the crucial factor in overcoming the mid-season slumps that have hindered their progress in recent years.
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