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The Bucs certainly had their most uncommon practice of their 2025 training camp as the team had a solo practice in Pittsburgh. A day ahead of their joint practice with the Steelers, the Bucs took a trip on over to Carnegie Mellon University, home of the Tartans, and practiced at Gesling Stadium on Wednesday.

There was rainy weather during the first portion of practice, but then the skies cleared up and it got to around 85 degrees. Tampa Bay had one field to operate with compared to their usual three, but they were able to get all the work done that was necessary for the group. They also started practice around 11:30 AM compared to their regular start time of 8:30 AM. Pewter Report’s Matt Matera and Adam Slivon were on hand for the practice.

Bucs Who Were In And Out Of Practice 

There were a couple of returns to practice this Wednesday. Nose tackle Vita Vea had Monday off but he was back out there today and got reps with the starters. Running back Owen Wright, who missed Monday after taking the bulk of the rushing attempts in Saturday’s preseason game, also returned. Everyone at running back with the exception of Rachaad White participated, including newcomer Jase McClellan.

Not practicing for the second day in a row was starting safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Todd Bowles said after practice this Winfield has a lower leg injury and is “sore.” Bryce Hall also missed his second consecutive day, while rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison was out again and doesn’t appear to be returning anytime soon. Wide receivers Kameron Johnson and Trey Palmer also did not practice as they continue to miss several days, but Palmer at least ran for a little bit at the beginning.

It should also be noted that defensive tackle Desmond Watson was running on his own, however, because he was running with trainers and is still on the NFI list, Pewter Report was not allowed to film his movements. Bowles was asked after practice if Watson is any closer to a return which he replied, “Nothing to add until he’s out there.”

– Pewter Report’s Matt Matera contributed this section.

Bucs QBs Continue To Build Their Game

It’s hard not to sound like a broken record when it comes to Baker Mayfield and specifically his connection with Emeka Egbuka. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Tampa or on a Pittsburgh college campus, those two can connect anywhere. Mayfield found Ebguka on the second play of 11-on-11s for about 15 yards over the middle.

Bucs WRs Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, and Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Aileen Hnatiuk/WFLA

He then was the first person Mayfield looked to when it came to seven-on-sevens in the red zone. Soon after Mayfield found Bucky Irving and Payne Durham for completions sharing the wealth. There were no turnovers committed by any quarterbacks on the day, and considering that Mayfield gets most of the shares, it’s hopefully a quality that will continue against the Steelers and into the regular season.

There was definitely a conscientious effort to get Teddy Bridgewater more involved in today’s practice as Bridgewater and Kyle Trask split reaps while Conner Bazelak didn’t take any at all. Trask threw many screen passes, but Bridgewater was very accurate and precise.

This was truly a first look of Bridgewater running the Bucs’ offense in 11-on-11s that consisted of throws that were over five yards or more. He hit receiver Jacob Harris on an out route near the sidelines that ended up being a 15-yard pass and 60-yard gain as Tyrek Funderburk slipped in coverage. Later in red zone, he threw it to the left corner in the front of the end zone where only Ryan Miller could catch it, which he did for the score. Bridgewater also found connections with Sterling Shepard, Jalen McMillan and Egbuka during the sessions. He showed why he’s been in the league for many years.

“He knows how to run an offense,” Bowles said after practice. “He definitely knows how to run an offense. His timing his coming with the receivers so we look forward to seeing him play a bit more.”

– Pewter Report’s Matt Matera contributed this section.

Bucky Blocks And Shepard Shines

Bucky Irving immediately began practicing by ripping off a 20-yard yard run. That’s a sigh we’re all used to seeing at this ppoint. But with White out for the foreseeable future, Irving got a couple of more reps on third down and in particular with pass blocking. Irving did a great job picking up blitzes and engaging with the linebackers to open more time for Baker Mayfield. It was an aspect of his game that wasn’t the best last year, but he looked much better today.

While Mike Evans was in uniform, he didn’t practice in team drills. The person looked the best out of the receivers happened to be veteran Sterling Shepard. It was a familiar Oklahoma reunion as Shepard caught a touchdown from Mayfield during red zone, creating just enough space to be open. He later made a terrific running and diving sideline catch, keeping his feet in bounds.

Bucs’ Defense Puts Up Its Own Steel Curtain In Pittsburgh

While it was more of the same back-and-forth practice between the Bucs’ offense and defense, Todd Bowles’ unit got after it and made several splash plays. 

First, it was inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis who stepped up and read a short pass to tight end Payne Durham. Dennis clogged the passing lane for quarterback Baker Mayfield, which forced an incompletion. What also caught our eye on the play was cornerback Zyon McCollum, who followed wide receiver Jalen McMillan in motion from the right to left side, yelling to the defense “I got him, I got him!” The increased level of communication was on display throughout the session.

After practice concluded, Pewter Report caught up with McCollum and asked about how the improved communication makes all the difference. 

“It seems like we kind of share one mind, I guess in a way,” McCollum said. “At least, that’s what we’re trying to get to, to where we’re just moving as one unit and we’re kind of all on the same page. A lot of that has to do with just speaking up when [we] need to. We’re getting louder out there and starting to communicate in different ways. When we’re all on the same page, we fly around and we play fast.”

Another play that demonstrated the defensive backs flying around and playing fast was from the versatile, Swiss-army knife Christian Izien. Izien caught up to a Kyle Trask throw and broke up Trask’s pass to the left sideline intended for wide receiver Garrett Greene. After the defense celebrated the play, one of the players playfully shouted over to Izien that he had “baby ass arms.” He made them work on that rep.

While much of the discussion revolving the team’s depth deservingly goes to the running back and wide receiver rooms, the cornerback room is not far behind. After McCollum and Jamel Dean and rookies Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, there is still a lot of depth with several players stepping up. After his long road to recovery, Bryce Hall has had a nice camp, even though he was out today. Tyrek Funderburk and Roman Parodie each had interceptions in the preseason opener and are bottom-of-the-roster options, as are Kindle Vildor and Josh Hayes.

Then there is the new kid on the block, undrafted rookie JayVian Farr.

Bucs CBs Tyrek Funderburk and TayVian Farr – Photo by: Adam Slivon/PR

Farr was signed earlier this week after making a nice impression with the team during rookie minicamp. Pewter Report spoke to Farr after practice where he revealed that head coach Todd Bowles told him how he liked his fit in the defense and that not signing him out of minicamp was more of a “delay, not deny” situation. With Morrison and Hayes held out of practice, the 5-foot-9, 192-pound corner from D-II Augustana had a nice pass breakup on wide receiver Ryan Miller.

“For not knowing what he was doing, he did a very good job,” Bowles said about Farr’s first day. “He was running around and moving, I just said, ‘Don’t let the ball go over your head,’ and he did that.

Asked about the team’s depth at cornerback, McCollum gushed about the mindset of the players in the room and why that sets them up for success.

“Probably the deepest since I’ve been here,” McCollum said. “I’ve been a part of some good cornerback rooms since being here, but I mean top to bottom, everybody is professional. They show up, they get the work done, take notes, ask a lot of questions. Nobody is ever too big-headed in this group. Everybody is really humble. I think that’s what allows us to have that competitive nature about us and it allows these younger guys to catch up.”

From a pass-rushing standpoint, it was tough to gauge just how effective they were with the offense running the ball quite a bit and utilizing a lot of quick game with wide receiver and tight end screens. One player did stand out, and that was defensive tackle Elijah Roberts.

Expected to be a defensive chess piece moving inside and outside, Roberts came through and recorded a would-be sack during practice. After a solid showing during the preseason opener, eyes will be on him to see if he can continue building off each practice and earning rotational reps in the defensive line mix.

– Pewter Report’s Adam Slivon contributed this section.

Notes And Observations:

• Tight end Payne Durham told us heading into training camp that he was working on becoming a dominant blocker. Last week, Durham added that he wanted to be the team’s “human battering ram.” Well, he took out defensive tackle Vita Vea during one snap in practice. It is quite a feat putting Vea on the ground, and standing over him, Durham let out a big “AGHHH” while flexing over him. It was quite a moment, and showcased just how much he wants to display his physicality this season.
• There was another high-energy moment from the tight end room late in practice. With the offense running two-point conversions, tight end Tanner Taula caught a pass in the right corner of the end zone. The whole tight end room came over to celebrate the moment and were yelling and screaming, with Devin Culp leading the way. Each of the tight ends in the room offer a different skillset, and together they look to be a formidable group capable of bringing some juice.
• Cornerback Jamel Dean was among the defensive players who had a strong day at practice. Dean had two pass breakups and played tight coverage throughout the morning.
• There was a red zone rep where tight end Ko Kieft and Garrett Greene collided and fell to the ground like bowling pins. Greene was a bit shaken up after the play, but both players got up and appeared to be fine.

– Pewter Report’s Adam Slivon contributed this section.