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The Bucs had their third training camp practice in a row on Wednesday in what was yet another scorcher of a day from the temperature. Tampa Bay will have one more tomorrow at the Advent Health Training Center before their game against the Chiefs on Saturday night.

Tampa Bay had some good back and forth between the offense and defense, with each side having their moments. Several players were out today, whether it was a veteran rest day or guys still injured, so it opened up opportunities for second and third stringers.

Pewter Report’s Matt Matera, Adam Slivon and Kat Buetel were on hand for Wednesday’s session. Here were the biggest observations from the third practice this week.

Several Bucs Were Out Of Practice, But Tez Johnson Returned

There was a laundry list of Bucs players that did not participate on Wednesday. Some were just a veteran days off, such as wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr, defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and key special teamer Miles Killebrew.

Other players sat out after just returning, which comes as a little bit of a surprise considering they just missed so much time. But it also seems like Tampa Bay is being cautious while they slowly work these players back into the fold. Cornerback Zyon McCollum and wide receiver David Sills V each practiced yesterday, but didn’t go for Wednesday. Safety J.J. Roberts practiced earlier in the week, but was also out.

What was most disappointing to see was that cornerback Benjamin Morrison did not practice after going the first two days. Morrison is behind the eight ball at the moment having missed a ton of practices and not playing in Friday’s preseason opener. Head coach Todd Bowles was vague about his status for Saturday, too.

The category of players that continued to be out included wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, tight end Cade Otton, offensive tackle Ben Chukwuma and inside linebacker Christian Rozeboom. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs suited up and receiver Jalen McMillan continued to work out in individual drills.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka and TE Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

There was some more good news on Wednesday as wide receiver Tez Johnson did return to practice for the first time in more than a week. He participated in some 11-on-11 drills running both routes deep down the field and also intermediate routes to the sidelines. He didn’t have much of an impact in practice but it was good to get him out there and hopefully he can continue to put practices together.

Ted Hurst III Has Big Day

With Godwin and Egbuka out, McMillan working just individually and Tez Johnson just returning, it was the rookie Ted Hurst who was the first wide receiver and continues to be a star. Hurst made an incredible jumping catch today were he crashed into safety Antoine Winfield Jr. as they both went to the pull.

Bucs WR Ted Hurst – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Everybody could hear the pop of the pads as they collided with each other and went to the ground. Hurst and Winfield were both okay on the play, so the play by Hurst could be enjoyed more as it was a big gain. Hurst is finding chemistry with Baker Mayfield as he later caught a slant pass over the middle.

The Bucs went deep to him as well and he also scored a touchdown in the red zone. The hype machine continues to grow for Hurst. But with all the plays he’s been making, it’s for good reason.

Other Observations And Takeaways From Day 14 Of Bucs Camp

Here are some other observations and takeaways from Day 14 of Bucs training camp:

• There was a fun moment early on where DT Calijah Kancey and OLB Rueben Bain Jr. raced around a big hoop and had to touch standing pad at the end of it to see who could get there first. It was close, but Kancey won.

• Bain had his own special moment, completely dominating Luke Goedeke on a one-on-one pass rushing drill.

Bucs OLB Rueben Bain Jr. and RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• TE Bauer Sharp put together a good day making a couple of catches.

• The defense was much better today in all accounts. Mo Kamara had a sack, Anthony Nelson tipped a pass and Antoine Winfield Jr. also had a pass breakup.

• ILB Josiah Trotter had a good day as well making stops in the run and having a good blitz that was close to a sack.

• WR Kameron Johnson had a nice catch and run down the field. He hasn’t made many plays in camp, so this was necessary.

• CB Ayden Garnes looked like a shutdown corner in red zone drills today covering receiver Dennis Houston while quarteback Baker Mayfield was in. They each led to incompletions.

Bucs CB Ayden Garnes – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• The Bucs have one more practice on Thursday. It’ll be their fourth in a row.