For the last month we’ve been giving you updates on Bucs OTA practices, but now, play time is over and it’s time to get serious with Buccaneers mandatory Mini-Camp.

Ok, so maybe it’s not all that different. But, on Tuesday, Bucs practice was different in the sense that all 90 players (those who were healthy) were out on the practice field, including defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, cornerback Brent Grimes and wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

With all players available, this was the starting lineup for the team’s first 1-minute drill.

There are some key difference there from what we saw in 2017.

For one, Chris Godwin was getting most of the starting reps on the outside, even with Jackson there. But, that wasn’t to say Jackson didn’t get his reps, they were just more of a mixture than solely on the outside. On the flip side, rookie cornerback Carlton Davis was lined up as the team’s starting outside cornerback opposite Brent Grimes. Head coach Dirk Koetter raved about Davis during the rookie mini-camp and OTAs, so him being a starter right away for mini-camp is good to see.

Hargreaves Finding A Home

Another difference in the depth chart was cornerback Vernon Hargreaves starting as the nickel cornerback when the team went into their “sub package,” meaning more than just two cornerbacks on the field.

Hargreaves was “demoted” to nickel duties last season after struggling in the first few weeks as an outside cornerback and thrived as a nickel player before getting hurt. It seems like he picked up right where he left off in the nickel.

Defensive coordinator Mike Smith told us about a month ago that this was likely going to be the plan with Hargreaves. He’ll play some outside cornerback duties in base defense, but when it comes to nickel and sub packages, Hargreaves will be the first one on the inside.

It seems to be giving him added confidence.

Hit and Miss Going Deep

The most popular narrative to talk about during the summer this offseason has been quarterback Jameis Winston’s deep ball accuracy, specifically when referencing wide receiver DeSean Jackson, as he is the main deep threat on this team.

On their first attempt at a pass of over 40 yards in mini-camp, they were unsuccessful.

But, as the day went on, Winston seemed to get more comfortable with Jackson and the other receivers, for that matter. In the play above, the Bucs had a great design to almost have a double pick, making defenders in man coverage run through traffic to keep up with players, which is especially difficult again a player like Jackson.

More creativity with Jackson’s speed would be welcomed for 2018.

Red Zone Revival

Howard had one of two fantastic red zone grabs for touchdowns on Tuesday at the first mini-camp practice, and it was good to not only see the play be made, but be made by Howard, who seems to be more comfortable in his skillset going into his sophomore year.

The other spectacular red zone grab was done by Chris Godwin, and we don’t need to tell you how good it is to see that, as Godwin has emerged as a player who will get starting reps.

It was some stiff, friendly competition out there for Tuesday’s practice, and we should expect much of the same for the rest of the week.

Stay tuned to PewterReport.com and PewterReport on Twitter for all the updates.