The Bucs returned to the AdventHealth Training Center Monday morning, with training camp really ramping up in intensity as the pads came on for the first time. With only 12 more days until its first preseason gameday – an Aug. 10 exhibition against the Bengals in Cincinnati – Tampa Bay continued to see a lot of back and forth between offense and defense, making for a lively practice in hot and sunny conditions.

The Bucs will be back at it with a night practice on Tuesday in the indoor facility at One Buc Place before an off day Wednesday.

“For us, the first day in pads, you know it’s going to be hot and they’re going to be a little drained,” head coach Todd Bowles said after Monday’s practice. “So you want to stay off their feet a little bit more and give them a little extra rest. But you still come out and have a productive practice. The fact that it’s indoors and they’ve got a little more time to rest, it helps out a little bit with the body.”

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

Bucs Who Were Not Practicing

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

The same trio of non-participants from the first four days of camp – Randy Gregory (Reserve/Did Not Report list), Zack Annexstad (Active/Non-Football Injury list) and Tanner Taula (Active/Non-Football Injury list) – were out once again. Meanwhile, veteran running back Chase Edmonds missed his fourth straight practice and was watching on from the side again. A new non-participant emerged as rookie outside linebacker Shaun Peterson Jr., an undrafted free agent, was also sidelined.

Perhaps the more noteworthy “non-participant” was left tackle Tristan Wirfs, though he did participate in the individual periods before watching from the side as the team moved into 11-on-11s. Wirfs and his camp are still working on a long-term contract with the Bucs, and the Pro Bowler said after practice that he wants to strike the right balance between being out there with his teammates and taking the precautions he needs to take as he tries to achieve some long-term security with a new contract.

“I talked to Coach Bowles about it,” Wirfs said. “I was like, ‘I have to be out here. I gotta be out here.’ It’s just not in my DNA, it was hard enough missing OTAs. I was in the weight room window watching the guys practice. I just told Coach Bowles I wanted to be cautious. There’s a lot at stake.

“I was out there when [Ryan] Jensen went down a couple years ago. So just trying to be as smart as I can. I’ve got a little one to look after now. So just trying to be as smart as I can while still being out here and getting as many mental reps as I can. It’s still a new offense and stuff, and to be in there and watch [Justin] Skule and coach Skule as much as I can – he does the same thing for me all the time. I talked to Coach Bowles and kinda worked it out.”

Bowles said after practice that there’s “good faith” between both sides, while Wirfs said he believes things are positive and progress is being made as they iron out “the little things.”

“As for Tristan, we talked before practice. I knew he was only doing the individual period,” Bowles said. “He’s here in good faith while his contract is getting done and we’re trying in good faith to negotiate a contract, and hopefully something gets worked out soon. The fact that he’s here and not holding out, when he gets it done or whenever that gets done, he can come in and step in and not lose any plays mentally by being here.”

Competition Heats Up As Bucs Move Into Some Contact Periods

With the pads coming on, there was obviously a lot more physicality and competition between both sides of the ball during Monday’s practice. That included some running drills that gave the offensive line a chance to compete against Tampa Bay’s defensive line. The cracking of pads was another sure sign that football is back, with third-year tight end Ko Kieft particularly standing out for one rep against second-year outside linebacker Markees Watts.

Ko Kieft doing some work here on Markees Watts. Good finish by the third-year tight end. pic.twitter.com/omeudWxlQN

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) July 29, 2024

Elsewhere, there was some 1-on-1 work between the wide receivers and defensive backs. Chris Godwin beat Antoine Winfield Jr. on one specific star-studded rep, while undrafted rookie Kameron Johnson showcased his impressive speed and ability to separate on a couple of reps. One of those came against third-round pick Tykee Smith, who played tight coverage before Johnson was able to get just enough separation to make the catch.

A good outing for Kameron Johnson, who’s impressed in training camp. His speed is legit. #Bucs pic.twitter.com/IlcelyCYVZ

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) July 29, 2024

The defensive standout in the 1-on-1 period was second-year cornerback Keenan Isaac, who had one interception and nearly came up with another.

#Bucs CB Keenan Isaac nearly had 2 picks. He ended the 1-on-1s with an interception and celebrated after pic.twitter.com/CX2jsjUE0p

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) July 29, 2024

Wins On Both Sides As Bucs’ Fifth Practice Comes To A Close

As practice drew to a close, both the Bucs offense and defense traded off wins in the team’s situational drills.

First, it was the offense coming through in the clutch as it worked through a situation where it was needing a touchdown with under a minute left on the clock. After Lavonte David made a great play and broke up a pass intended for Cade Otton, the first-team offense got its win on a 4th & 1 with six seconds left. With rookie outside linebacker Chris Braswell beating Luke Goedeke on the play, Baker Mayfield rolled to his right and threw on the run, finding Chris Godwin in the end zone for a touchdown.

The second-team offense then got a win of its own, too, thanks to some miscommunication by the Buccaneer defense. For starters, the defense left Bucky Irving uncovered out wide. But there was also miscommunication elsewhere, which allowed Kyle Trask to hit rookie tight end Devin Culp for a touchdown with 18 seconds left on the clock.

Todd Bowles’ defense got its revenge, though, as the team finished practice with a situation where the offense was down two with no timeouts. Needing to get in position for a field goal, the offense’s opportunity was over before it got started. Yaya Diaby and Antoine Winfield Jr. teamed up for a sack of Mayfield, which meant the offense failed. Kyle Trask completed a couple of passes with the second-team offense in the same situation, but practice came to an end with the defense getting the last blow of the day.

Observations And Highlights From Day 5 Of Bucs Camp

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

• Graham Barton and Ben Bredeson got the first snaps with the starting offensive line (at center and left guard, respectively) when the team got into its 11-on-11 period. Bredeson and Sua Opeta have continued to split time as they battle for the starting left guard job.

• In addition to his impressive work in 1-on-1s, undrafted rookie receiver Kameron Johnson also looked electric when he got a chance to return kicks early in practice. Not only was his speed on full display, but he looked shifty and explosive as he wove his way through the kick team.

• Kaevon Merriweather had a strong day, with the second-year safety covering a Johnson end-around perfectly and laying in a bit of a pop for the first solid contact of the day. Merriweather also had two near interceptions in practice and he had a nice, legit tackle on wide receiver Jalen McMillan, taking the rookie to the ground.

• It was also a good day for wide receiver Raleigh Webb, an undrafted rookie out of The Citadel. He flashed in 1-on-1s, caught a touchdown pass from John Wolford in 11-on-11s and later had a sliding catch near the sideline on a pass from Kyle Trask.

Bucs LT Lorenz Metz and OLB Jose Ramirez – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Although Tristan Wirfs wasn’t on the field for 11-on-11 work, the left tackle position was pretty dominant in his absence. Silas Dzansi had a nice knockdown block on outside linebacker Markees Watts. This came one play after Watts was pancaked by tight end Ko Kieft. Then rookie outside linebacker Chris Braswell was knocked down by third-string left tackle Lorenz Metz. On the next play, Metz took out defensive lineman Earnest Brown IV on one play and then drove Jose Ramirez backwards on the next.

When Justin Skule came back in he engulfed Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and locked him down on his first rep on a run play, but then was finally beaten inside when outside linebacker Anthony Nelson sniffed out an interior run and stopped Rachaad White for no gain.

• Running back Sean Tucker had a good day in full pads. He was fast and decisive hitting the hole, which the team was pleased to see, and did a good job of catching the ball relatively speaking. Tucker would have had a great day if he didn’t drop a swing pass from Kyle Trask towards the end of practice, but he took his eyes off the ball before securing it.

• Speaking of Trask, offensive coordinator Liam Coen was visibly upset with Trask when the Bucs didn’t line up correctly on back-to-back plays. A frustrated Coen demanded that the offense re-huddle to get it right after the first mistake.