The Bucs were back together at the AdventHealth Training Center Wednesday morning for their first practice of training camp. With partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the high 80s with a slight breeze, Tampa Bay began preparations for a 2024 season in which it’s looking to capture a fifth consecutive playoff berth and a fourth straight NFC South title.
The Bucs, like every team, were in shorts and helmets to begin training camp as the pads don’t come on until next week.
Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Matt Matera, Bailey Adams and Adam Slivon were in attendance for the team’s first camp practice. Here are their observations.
Bucs Who Were Not Practicing
After being placed on the Active/Non-Football Injury list Tuesday, rookie quarterback Zack Annexstad and second-year tight end Tanner Taula were not participating in Wednesday’s practice. And, unsurprisingly, veteran outside linebacker Randy Gregory once again failed to report. He was replaced on the Reserve/Did Not Report list on Tuesday.
Tristan Wirfs Shows Up – And Fully Participates Amid Contract Talks
Tristan Wirfs and his camp are in the midst of working on a long-term contract extension with the Bucs, and they’ve yet to reach an agreement. So, after the 25-year-old “held in” during the mandatory mini-camp in June — he was present to avoid fines, but did not participate — it was worth wondering if he would do the same when training camp began on Wednesday.
Bucs Pro Bowl LT Tristan Wirfs IS here at training camp with helmet in hand. Wirfs was present for mini-camp but did not participate as he continues to eye a new long-term contract with the team. #WeAreTheKrewe pic.twitter.com/T970eTYkC4
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) July 24, 2024
Instead, Wirfs was on the practice field and fully participating in Wednesday’s practice. It wasn’t a surprise that Wirfs showed up, as he reported to the facility yesterday as expected. But the fact that he participated not only in the warmups but also in independent and full 11-on-11 periods felt like one of the bigger surprises of the day.
However, don’t count Bucs head coach Todd Bowles among those who may have been pleasantly surprised by the Pro Bowl left tackle’s full participation.
“No, I’m not surprised to see it,” Bowles said. “He loves the game. He loves to play. And he loves his teammates. He did a good job today.”
Asked if Wirfs may take a step back once the pads come on in an effort to preserve his health until the contract situation reaches a resolution, Bowles was quick and to the point.
“He’s rolling,” Bowles said.
Baker Mayfield And Mike Evans Shine On The First Day Of Bucs Camp
After connecting 79 times for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield and start wide receiver Mike Evans picked up right where they left off when they returned to the field together on Wednesday.
On Mayfield’s first passing attempt of the team’s 11-on-11 period, he fired a strike over the middle to Evans, which drew a big reaction from the fans in attendance. Evans then caught Mayfield’s second attempt of the day and later hauled in a couple more. If you simply watched Wednesday’s practice with no context, you wouldn’t believe that Evans is about to turn 31 years old and begin his 11th NFL season.
“It’s a blessing, always, to start a training camp healthy and go out here and just do what I love to do and live out my dream,” Evans said after practice. “Obviously, it’s not easy. It’s difficult, but I’d rather be nowhere else than here. So, I’m happy I get to do this. I’ve been seeing pictures of me [from] my first camp when I was 240 pounds, out of shape, but I was just a young, hungry kid. I still have that same hunger. [I] just got smarter.”
As for Mayfield, he was sharp from the get-go on Wednesday. He connected with Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Cade Otton throughout the 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods. It’s a different feeling this year for both Mayfield and the Bucs, as there’s no quarterback competition the way there was last year. Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million deal with the team this offseason and there’s no question as to who is leading the way heading into 2024.
“Baker has the keys to the bus, and he’s driving it,” Bowles said. “And he’s comfortable, we’re comfortable with him. We’re both in a great place right now. He has to run the offense. We’ve talked about this, as far as getting the ball out where he needs to get the ball out and understanding the offense and making the correct checks. And I think he’s taken it upon his shoulders, he came back in great shape and we expect him to do that. But it’s a lot more stability there then there was last year.”
Observations And Highlights From Day 1 Of Bucs Training Camp
Here are some quick-hitting observations from Tampa Bay’s first training camp practice:
• As expected, there was a bit of shuffling around with the offensive line on day one. Robert Hainsey and rookie Graham Barton rotated in at center with the first-team O-line, while free agent signees Ben Bredeson and Sua Opeta both saw time at left guard with the starting unit. Opeta is known for his run blocking, but got rocked backwards at the line of scrimmage by Will Gholston on a pass protection play. Opeta is strong, but not the biggest guard at just 6-foot-4, 305 pounds. Bredeson is slightly bigger at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds.
• Cornerback Zyon McCollum had a strong practice, first coming up with a diving pass breakup during 11-on-11s before playing tight coverage on Mike Evans on a third-down play later in the period. Baker Mayfield did complete what was a tight-window throw to Evans, but it couldn’t have been covered much better by McCollum. Mayfield was incredibly sharp to open camp on Wednesday.
• Veteran cornerback and former Houston Texan Tavierre Thomas intercepted a Kyle Trask pass off the hands of Sterling Shepard during the 7-on-7 period.
• Trask later came back with a sharp throw to Shepard near the sideline, ultimately ending on a strong note after an up-and-down day.
• John Wolford may be the best third-string quarterback in the league. He’s incredibly poised and accurate and had a really solid day with limited reps as the team’s third-stringer. Wolford throws a very catchable ball and very few passes of his hit the ground or are in harms way. With three years in Los Angeles playing in Sean McVay’s Rams offense, including a couple of seasons with new Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Wolford knows more about this offense than even Baker Mayfield right now. He’s a huge asset to the Bucs quarterbacks room. Wolford threw a great ball to rookie Kameron Johnson during Wednesday’s practice, hitting him on a deep post for a touchdown.
• Rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan has a subtle suddenness and smoothness about him. After catching a pass underneath, McMillan gave a slight head-fake and juked outside linebacker Anthony Nelson, who had dropped in coverage in the flat, and also make strong safety Jordan Whitehead miss to pick up a first down. McMillan’s move to split the Bucs defenders looked like a savvy veteran move. Mike Evans called McMillan “polished” after practice.
• Veteran running back Chase Edmonds took the backup reps behind Rachaad White on Wednesday, while rookie Bucky Irving, the team’s fourth-round pick, was the No. 3 running back. This is not a surprise as Edmonds has more NFL experience and a better grasp on the playbook as a result. Expect Irving to get more reps in camp as the days and weeks progress. Irving’s instant acceleration was noticeable on an outside run that picked up a first down.
• Rookie Tykee Smith got the first reps at nickel cornerback with the starting defense.
