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The Bucs were back outside and practicing in the morning on Thursday for day seven of their 2025 training camp. It was also Military Appreciation Day, so it was great to see a lot of military members in attendance and practice began with the singing of the National Anthem.

It was a 90-degree day but thankfully there was better cloud coverage than there has been in recent outdoor practices. Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Matt Matera and Adam Slivon were on hand to witness it.

Defensive tackle Greg Gaines returned to practice today. Still out were inside linebacker Lavonte David, tight end Cade Otton, wide receivers Trey Palmer and Kameron Johnson, and running back Josh Williams. Newly signed running back Owen Wright and wide receiver Jaden Smith made their debuts.

This was the second practice in a row that David was out for. Typically, he’ll get a rest day the final practice before the Bucs have an off day to give him two straight days off, but with him missing Tuesday night and the Bucs having off Wednesday, that was not normal. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles just said that David was sore. It sounds like it just a precaution for the veteran team leader.

Overall, there was some give and take by the Bucs offense and defense on Thursday, which was good to see. The defense had gotten the better of it in recent practices, but the offense made it look like a stalemate today based on everyone’s efforts. There was a big emphasis on running the ball as well, featuring plenty of running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White throughout the practice.

Bucs RB Rachaad White and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Big Day For Former Iowa Hawkeyes

No, left tackle Tristan Wirfs did not return to practice, but he was likely smiling once he saw how well some former Iowa Hawkeye players looked today. Safety Kaevon Merriweather continued the trend of the Bucs’ secondary being Ballhawks as he recorded a pick-six off of Kyle Trask. Merriweather jumped the route with the target intended for wide receiver Rakim Jarrett and took it to the house. The only player within the realm of possibility of tackling getting a step on him was Trask, but he likely wouldn’t have made the stop.

Merriweather has gone under the radar in the secondary with a lot of new faces in the room, but he is quietly having a good camp as he fights for a roster spot. This is the second interception that he has recorded, and he’s really earned the trust of coach Bowles, especially after a conversation they had in the offseason.

“We had a long talk when he came back,” Bowles said. “I’m not sure he thought I liked him when we had him initially. We had a long talk, we sat down, and we started watching film together and he understood where I was coming from. He’s been great ever since, I’m very proud of him.”

While Merriweather has been on Tampa Bay’s active roster and started games before, undrafted free agent rookie inside linebacker Nick Jackson is just trying to find a roster spot. Jackson had recorded a sack on Trask while blitzing up the middle, timing it very well. His pass coverage was also spot on, and he made some stops throughout the day.

Bucs ILB Nick Jackson – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

With veteran Anthony Walker Jr. still out and David missing some time, Jackson is getting more reps and making the most of his opportunities. He will be an intriguing watch during the preseason.

Houston Making WR Room A Problem

The competition for the last spots at wide receiver has gotten deeper with the emergence of former undrafted free agent receiver out of Western Illinois, Dennis Houston. Spending time with the Cowboys in 2022 and Giants in 2023, Houston was on the Bucs’ practice squad in 2024 and looking for a 53-man roster spot in 2025.

Houston was not thought of or mentioned much during these receiver competitions with all of the names discussed in the rotation. He even had some drops on the first day or practice. But with Palmer and Johnson out, Houston was given more playing time on Thursday and dazzled during the whole session.

Bucs OC Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

There were about six or seven catches made by Houston as he typically either found some spots in the zone to get open and did also go deep from time to time. There was a connection building between Houston and Kyle Trask that really paid off on the final situational drive where the Bucs’ offense needed to drive down and score a touchdown. While they didn’t reach the end zone, Trask hit Houston four times on that drive and got Tampa Bay down the goal line.

It is already known that Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan are the top four Bucs receivers on this team with Tez Johnson have a good chance at the fifth receiver spot. That leaves Kameron Johnson, Trey Palmer, Rakim Jarrett, Sterling Shepard, Ryan Miller, Garrett Greene, and Dennis Houston all battling for sixth at the position.

Houston’s stock grew today.

Secondary Continues To Stand Out

The players in the secondary have really taken to heart what Todd Bowles has talked about with being a ballhawk and making plays in the secondary. Safety J.J. Roberts had two very critical plays breaking up passes for pass breakups. There was one in particular where it looked like Houston was going to score in the corner of the end zone, but he hustled over and just got enough to tip the football and redirect it out of bounds for an incompletion.

Roberts gets better and better each practice and has very much put himself in the rotation at both safety and nickel.

Bucs DB JJ Roberts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Zyon McCollum has been no stranger to making plays in camp. He nearly made his first interception of this year jumping in front of a route, but Jalen McMillan had to become the defender and swatted the ball away. While McCollum is happy with the efforts of everybody making plays, he’s kicking himself for not getting the job done.

“I got to be able to come down with those,” McCollum said after practice. “Those are the types of game changing plays that I’ve been working on that I got to be able to execute especially in big moments.”

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While Jamel Dean has not recorded an interception either, he did a good job of keeping Mike Evans at bay while in a goal line session. The two vets went up against each other and as Baker Mayfield threw the ball to the left side of the end zone, Evans pushed off of Dean to make the catch, but Dean didn’t him any room and Evan landed out of bounds for an incompletion. All of the corners have made it difficult for any passes to be complete.

Observations & Highlights From Day 7 Of Bucs Training Camp

Here are some quick-hitting observations from Tampa Bay’s seventh training camp practice of 2025:

• It was another impressive showing at Thursday’s practice for second-year outside linebacker Chris Braswell. Braswell pushed right tackle Michael Jordan back on one rep to disrupt quarterback Kyle Trask’s throwing motion, leading to an incomplete pass. The 2024 second-round pick also continued to flash his pass-rushing prowess and had another would-be sack. Head coach Todd Bowles wants to see him level up, and he will have more reps and a chance to this season.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Left tackle Charlie Heck was challenged today by outside linebacker Yaya Diaby. As was the theme throughout practice, there was a lot of back-and-forth between the two winning reps. That speaks to Heck’s growth and Diaby’s ability to get into the backfield. It’s not a position battle but will be an entertaining one-on-one matchup to keep tabs on.
• Quarterback Baker Mayfield obviously receives the bulk of first-team reps, but quarterback Kyle Trask got more chances to showcase his arm. It felt like the offense was holding Mayfield off the field a bit, which is not always a bad thing as he and the rest of the starters continue picking up the playbook and marching toward the preseason.
• Inside linebacker Nick Jackson had a solid practice, but don’t forget about John Bullock, either. Todd Bowles mentioned that they are learning things quickly and he is excited about seeing both of them in-game.
• It’s been encouraging to see the amount of pressure generated by Todd Bowles’ blitzes. There was one three-play sequence in practice where Chris Braswell, Nick Jackson, and Antoine Winfield Jr. all had would-be sacks on Baker Mayfield.

– Pewter Report’s Adam Slivon contributed this section.

The Bucs will return to practice tomorrow morning with another practice on Friday.