After three days of helmets, shorts and jerseys, the Bucs returned to the AdventHealth Training Center on Sunday morning after a day off in shells, which are light shoulder pads and shorts, for Day 4 of training camp. The sun was out and it was hot and there were humid conditions, as Tampa Bay continued to train and prepare for its preseason opener at Cincinnati in less than two weeks.

The Bucs, training camp. Head coach Todd Bowles confirmed Friday that the pads will come on for Monday’s practice. That means, after an off day on Saturday, the team will have one more practice in shorts and helmets on Sunday before getting some contact in starting Monday morning.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Matt Matera, Adam Slivon and new intern Isaiah Delgado were in attendance for Sunday’s practice. Here are their observations.

Bucs Who Were Not Practicing

Outside linebacker Randy Gregory remained absent from Sunday’s practice, as he is still on the Reserve/Did Not Report list. Rookie quarterback Zack Annexstad and second-year tight end Tanner Taula, who are both on the Active/Non-Football Injury list, also remained sidelined.

Running back Chase Edmonds was out for the third straight practice as well, while wide receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David returned to practice on Sunday. Safety Kaevon Merriweather also resumed practicing after being out for the beginning of training camp.

Chris Godwin’s Revenge

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs worked on red zone offense in the middle of Sunday’s practice and in the first two reps in 11-on-11 veteran wide receiver Chris Godwin absolutely stole the show.

Godwin, who has become a stranger to the end zone in recent years, catching just two touchdowns last year after only snaring three the year before, is entering a big contract year at age 28. Godwin caught back-to-back touchdown passes from Baker Mayfield, going across the middle of the end zone and beating cornerback Zyon McCollum in coverage on the first one, and then hauling in a perfect back shoulder fade in the right back corner of the end zone against All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. on the next one.

There is a chance that rookie nickelback Tykee Smith could have gotten to Mayfield on a slot blitz before he threw the first touchdown to Godwin. Smith came unblocked and was racing towards the Bucs quarterback just as he unleashed the ball.

Both starting DBs had tight coverage on Godwin, who just had the better position to haul in the scores. After both touchdowns, Godwin had the same celebration – a loud scream as he chucked the ball 20 yards straight up in the air.

While he’s been one of the steadiest receivers in the league, hauling in 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last three years, Godwin’s touchdown total has been in free-fall since he posted a career-high nine TDs in 2019, which was his Pro Bowl season. Godwin had seven the next season, followed by five in 2021.

Like Mike Evans a year ago, Godwin is having to play out his contract year before the team talks about a possible extension. It worked out well for Evans last year as he cashed in on a two-year deal worth $41 million after he finished tied for the league lead in touchdowns with 14 in 2023 – among his 79 catches for 1,255 yards. While Evans, who is the franchise’s all-time touchdown producer with 94 over his first 10 years in the league, is the primary TD weapon, the Bucs want to see Godwin find the end zone a little more to justify paying him $20 million or more on his next contract.

If Sunday’s practice was any indication, Godwin could be well on his way.

Bucs Defense Records Multiple Interceptions – Again

The Bucs defense came up with four interceptions in Friday’s training camp practice, and Todd Bowles’ unit was back at it again on Sunday with three more picks. The team had Saturday off, but the defense certainly didn’t rest on Sunday.

The first came off Baker Mayfield, but it wasn’t the starting quarterback’s fault. Linebacker Lavonte David tipped a pass intended for rookie receiver Jalen McMillan and veteran cornerback Jamel Dean was Johnny-on-the-spot to come up with the deflection. It would be the first of multiple picks on Sunday for Mayfield.

Bucs CBs Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean and CBs coach Kevin Ross – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After having a Hail Mary intercepted on Friday and a tipped pass picked off earlier on Sunday, Mayfield threw his first true INT of training camp when he threw the ball down the right sideline and there wasn’t a receiver within 10 yards of the ball. Cornerback Zyon McCollum tracked down Mayfield’s errant throw, which was an obvious miscommunication between him and an absent receiver.

After practice, Bowles joked about Dean coming down with an interception because it’s been such a rare occurrence. Dean’s last interception during the regular season came in Week 2 in 2022 in New Orleans.

“I like their ability to make plays,” Bowles said of the interceptions from Dean and McCollum. “We need to get Dean drug tested because he usually doesn’t catch ’em. We’re gonna see if he’s been on that stuff or not – but other than that, they’re concentrating more on understanding where their help is. They came back in good shape and they kind of talk to each other after every play about what they’ve seen. The communication’s been good.”

Second-year inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis, who was a pick-six machine last offseason, came up with another one, stepping in front of wide receiver Rakim Jarrett near the 5-yard line in the red zone and picking off Kyle Trask. Dennis made a bee-line for the right sidelines and didn’t stop running, scoring his first would-be pick-six of the team’s 2024 training camp.

Observations And Highlights From Day 4 Of Bucs Camp

Here are some quick-hitting observations from Tampa Bay’s fourth training camp practice:

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• The Bucs started practice working on kick returns and kick coverage. Tampa Bay’s kick return candidates on Sunday were running backs Bucky Irving, Rashon Jefferson and Sean Tucker, wide receivers Jalen McMillan, Rakim Jarrett, Kameron Johnson, Latreal Jones and Tanner Knue.

• Bucky Irving had his biggest workload on Sunday. He’s moved up the depth chart to No.2 with Chase Edmonds being out since Thursday due to injury. Irving pretty much split carries and reps with starter Rachaad White in the fourth practice of camp. The additional work is only accelerating Irving’s learning curve in Tampa Bay’s new offense.

• Newcomer Sal Cannella, who is fresh off a season is the UFL, is one of the faster tight ends on Tampa Bay’s roster. Canella ran a 4.73 coming out of Auburn. He showed off that speed with a couple of catches on Sunday.

• Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby continues to play on another level. Diaby was giving fits to both right tackle Luke Goedeke and left tackle Tristan Wirfs on Sunday. Goedeke called Diaby “a handful” after practice, while Wirfs sung his praises and said he’s “going to be a problem for the league this year.”

• Sunday was an up-and-down day for backup quarterback Kyle Trask. He had a bad overthrow downfield on a pass to wide receiver Ryan Miller, who had a step on a Bucs defender, in addition to throwing a pick-six to SirVocea Dennis right near the goal line. But Trask did have a great intermediate throw on a strike to rookie receiver Kameron Johnson, who ran a skinny post, just past a dropping linebacker and in between two Bucs defensive backs.

Bucs DTs Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Bucs inside linebacker K.J. Britt wants to make strides in coverage and made a great play on a quick sideline pass from Baker Mayfield to Bucky Irving. Britt sniffed the outlet pass out and raced to the sideline where Irving was and would have blasted him as he caught the ball had it been a game instead of practice.

• Tampa Bay nose tackles Vita Vea and Greg Gaines each had a couple of knockdowns on back-to-back plays in an 11-on-11 session on Sunday. Vea blasted right guard Cody Mauch and knocked him to the ground, and Mauch also took out the legs of right tackle Luke Goedeke – so it was really a two-for-one play by the slimmed down nose tackle. Then Greg Gaines, Vea’s backup, pancaked backup center Robert Hainsey on a pass rush rep. Gaines had a couple of good rushes on Sunday.

• Former Bucs Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who works with NFL Network, was at Tampa Bay’s training camp practice on Sunday as a media member. McCoy, the team’s first-round pick in 2010, spent some time working with Calijah Kancey on the sidelines with Buccaneers social media capturing the exchange.