There was one final exclamation point as the Bucs wrapped up training camp Wednesday at the AdventHealth Training Center, with the Miami Dolphins in town for a joint practice ahead of Friday night’s preseason finale at Raymond James Stadium.

It was a hot day, though clouds moved in as practice neared an end just before noon. The intensity was evident throughout, though Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and his players came away unhappy that they started slower than they would’ve liked before getting better as the day went on.

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

Bucs Who Were Not Practicing

The group of Bucs not participating in Wednesday’s practice was generally the same as it’s been as of late. Justin Skule, Christian Izien, Kaevon Merriweather, Yaya Diaby, Rakim Jarrett, Tyrek Funderburk, Jordan Whitehead and John Wolford were among those sidelined for the joint practice with the Dolphins. However, there were a few positive signs for Tampa Bay on the injury front.

Whitehead, who has been sidelined with a quad injury since late July, once again went through stretches with the team before doing some running off to the side during practice. He looked to be moving well and appears on track, as expected, to be ready for the Bucs’ Week 1 matchup against the Commanders on Sept. 8.

Defensive tackle Greg Gaines returned to practice after missing the previous two days. Inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis was still in a black no-contact jersey for Wednesday’s practice, but rookie tight end Devin Culp was not as he returned to full participation and was back to work in full 11-on-11 team drills.

As for Funderburk, he was no longer wearing a boot on his foot, which was a positive step forward for the rookie cornerback.

Rookie CB Tyrek Funderburk isn’t suited up and stretching with the rest of the team, but he’s no longer wearing a boot. Good sign for him. pic.twitter.com/bN5qPoIbR1

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) August 21, 2024

A Back-And-Forth Day Between The Bucs And Dolphins At One Buc

For much of the morning at One Buc Place, the Bucs and Dolphins largely went blow for blow. The two teams went through early periods of practice on their own before coming together for 1-on-1s. The Dolphins secondary may have scored a narrow victory over the Bucs receiving corps, although there were several occasions when the defensive backs were or should’ve been called for interference. There were also some high-profile wins for Tampa Bay receivers, with Mike Evans, who’s birthday it is today, getting an easy win out of the way early on a slant before Jalen McMillan had one of the best reps of the day on a deep ball.

#Bucs WR Jalen McMillan beats #Dolphins CB Isaiah Johnson deep on the play pic.twitter.com/RglsfGjh7k

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) August 21, 2024

Rookie receiver Kameron Johnson also got some separation on one catch and made an athletic leaping catch over the middle. That was really just the start of an overall impressive day for Johnson.

Over on the second field, Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith got the better of safety Marcus Banks on one rep, while fellow tight end Durham Smythe beat veteran Lavonte David on another play. Running back De’Von Achane also burnt cornerback Bryce Hall deep on a wheel route on another play.

Bucs DB Tykee Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There were some big losses elsewhere for the Bucs defense in 1-on-1s, and Braxton Berrios came up with a big gain on a deep ball from Tua Tagovailoa as Tykee Smith trailed in coverage.

Back on field one in the next period, the Bucs offensive line held their own against the Dolphins’ pass rush. Rookie Chop Robinson did get the better of Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs on one rep, knocking him back with some power, but Wirfs came back the next time around and shut down the rookie out of Penn State. Right tackle Luke Goedeke later put Robinson into the ground on a rep during 11-on-11s.

Goedeke was solid in 1-on-1s as well, while second-year guard Cody Mauch also had an eye-catching win on a rep against veteran Calais Campbell, standing him up and shutting him down.

Defense Gets Slight Edge On The Day Overall For Bucs And Dolphins

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The 11-on-11 and two-minute periods were won by the defenses on both sides. The Bucs defense opened their 11-on-11 showdown with the Dolphins offense with a highlight play, as Zyon McCollum intercepted Tua Tagovailoa near the sideline. McCollum later recorded a pass breakup on another rep inside the red zone. Tavierre Thomas had another pass breakup on a pass intended for Braxton Berrios. Perhaps one of the only big plays for Miami’s offense came as Berrios caught a deep ball, beating safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

In the two-minute drill, the Bucs defense got off the field without allowing a first down. They defended a fourth-down play on the drive, too, with Jamel Dean coming up with the stop.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins defense largely emerged victorious over the Bucs offense. Jalen McMillan did make another big play down the field, beating Miami’s secondary for a touchdown of 50+ yards. Mike Evans had his share of wins on his 31st birthday, too, but when it came down to the two-minute drill, the Miami defense also got off the field without allowing Tampa Bay to move the chains.

Baker Mayfield was sacked on the opening play, though the Dolphins were flagged to negate the play. But from there, tight coverage on three straight incompletions – with one nearly intercepted – ended the drive for Tampa Bay’s first-team offense. The second-team offense didn’t fare any better, with a sack of Kyle Trask, a short completion to Cody Thompson and then an incompletion ending that possession.

Later on, the Bucs offense and Dolphins defense traded some big plays. First, it was Thompson hanging on for a contested catch through two defenders on a deep ball of 40+ yards that Mayfield placed perfectly. Shortly after, Kyle Trask was picked off by Miami safety Mark Perry.

Observations And Highlights From Day 18 Of Bucs Camp

Bucs QB Kyle Trask – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Here are some quick-hitting observations from Tampa Bay’s 18th training camp practice:

• Kameron Johnson was perhaps the star of the day for the Bucs offense, coming up with several catches in addition to making some plays on the ground. Tampa Bay has been using him in creative ways throughout camp, and a strong NFL debut for the rookie on Friday night against the Dolphins could ultimately secure him a spot on the final 53-man roster.

• After Trask’s interception, he came right back and found Johnson for a big gain over the middle after the former Barton College star got some separation from the defender.

• Mike Evans and Chris Godwin continued to find space and remained on the same page with Baker Mayfield for a lot of their reps, with Evans coming up with a 30-yard catch in 11-on-11s and Godwin catching some passes underneath for intermediate gains.

• Running backs Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker had some decent chunk runs when the space was there, though Miami’s run defense also did a good job of clogging up running lanes.

• Vita Vea predictably had some big 1-on-1 wins during Wednesday’s practice.

• Veteran defensive back Tavierre Thomas had a couple of pass breakups on the day as well.

• Tampa Bay’s secondary may not have gotten the test it expected to get when this joint practice was initially announced, as Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle and Odell Beckham Jr. all missed practice with injuries.

• Bucs head coach Todd Bowles confirmed after practice that Ben Bredeson will be the team’s starting left guard.

• Pro Football Hall of Famer and Bucs Ring of Honor member Derrick Brooks was in attendance for Wednesday’s practice.