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Bucs training camp continued Tuesday morning at the AdventHealth Training Center, as did preparations for Saturday’s preseason game at Raymond James Stadium against the Chiefs. It was a sweltering morning, with a heat advisory in effect throughout.

This practice felt a lot more like a practice would during the regular season, which was to be expected given the lack of fan attendance and the fact that the team is working its way toward another game in only four days.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Matt Matera, Bailey Adams and Leah Vrabec were in attendance at One Buc Place for Tuesday’s practice. Here were the big observations and takeaways from Tampa Bay’s second practice of the week.

For The First Time In 2 Weeks, Jalen McMillan Returns To Action

There was finally some good injury news on the wide receiver front for the Bucs Tuesday morning, with Jalen McMillan (leg) returning to practice for the first time in just over two weeks. The third-year pro had been out of action since Aug. 3, so it was encouraging to see him back on the field and suited up with less than a month to go before Week 1 of the regular season.

McMillan got his work in during the individual drills early in practice, then took some extra reps during one of the special teams periods, running routes and catching passes from his quarterbacks. The team will let McMillan work his way back gradually after missing a chunk of time, with the focus on getting him ready for the season opener at Cincinnati on Sept. 13. With that in mind, he won’t be among the starters who will play in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Chiefs.

“He’s just warming up, getting accustomed back to playing,” Bowles said after practice. “He won’t be in play [for Saturday].”

There was more good news for the receiver room, too, with David Sills V (knee) returning to action after getting banged up in the night practice on Aug. 4. He was a factor in the 11-on-11 periods Tuesday, making an excellent touchdown catch in the red zone before later going for a big gain on a pass from Jake Browning.

Cornerback Zyon McCollum and defensive tackle Elijah Simmons also returned to practice on Tuesday.

Bucs Get The Run Game Going With Explosive Plays

With Tuesday’s practice feeling a bit more like a regular season practice, the explosive plays on both sides of the ball came far less frequently than they seemed to earlier on in training camp. But a couple of explosive runs were a good sight to see after the Bucs’ run game was held to just 2.8 yards per attempt in last Friday’s preseason opener against the Jets.

First, it was Kenny Gainwell finding a lane, hitting it aggressively and getting to the second level before breaking free for a long run down the right sideline. Later on, it was Sean Tucker taking a handoff, finding a hole, making a cut and working his way through the defense for another long run.

Bucs OC Zac Robinson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There was no reason to panic regarding Tampa Bay’s run game after Friday’s exhibition opener considering Tucker had three yards per carry and Josh Williams averaged 3.4 behind the second- and third-team offensive line. But it was still encouraging to see the run game come alive with some explosive plays Tuesday morning. And that was without Bucky Irving getting in on the fun, plus the offensive line was still without left tackle Tristan Wirfs.

Speaking of Irving, Bowles said after practice that getting him some snaps in Saturday’s preseason game is less about seeing him absorb the physicality and more about getting back into the flow of a game setting after undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason.

“It’s not so much the hits. It’s just game flow for him,” Bowles said. “He’s taken hits in practice, so that part of it I’m not worried about. It’s just getting the game flow, just an understanding and getting back the feel of the game time.”

Other Observations And Takeaways From Day 13 Of Bucs Camp

Here are some other observations and takeaways from Day 13 of Bucs training camp:

• After returning to action in individual drills Monday morning, Tristan Wirfs had Tuesday off. Todd Bowles said after practice that his All-Pro left tackle was feeling “pretty good” after getting back at it Monday and that they’ll continue to see what he can do going into next week.

• Offensive tackle Ben Chukwuma, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, tight end Cade Otton and inside linebacker Christian Rozeboom, along with Wirfs and nose tackle Vita Vea, were all sidelined for Tuesday’s practice. Wide receiver Tez Johnson was not seen on the sidelines today.

Bucs ILB Christian Rozeboom – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Whereas Monday’s practice featured only Baker Mayfield and Jalon Daniels taking snaps at quarterback, Tuesday saw more participation from Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak.

• Mayfield and Browning were particularly sharp during the red zone period Tuesday morning, with Chris Godwin Jr., Ted Hurst III, Dean Patterson IV and David Sills V  all catching touchdowns.

• There was a tense moment late in practice when SirVocea Dennis laid a shoulder into Chris Godwin Jr., sending the veteran receiver to the ground after making the catch. Defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson came over to talk as he normally does, drawing Graham Barton over to get in his face before the crowd ultimately dispersed.

• Bucs rookie outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. was still out on the practice field going through some drills on his own nearly an hour after practice ended.

• The Bucs will return to the practice fields at the AdventHealth Training center Wednesday morning for their penultimate practice ahead of Saturday’s preseason home opener against the Chiefs.