The Bucs opened their mandatory mini-camp at the AdventHealth Training Center on Tuesday morning under cloudy skies and a light breeze. Just as practice was wrapping up, darker clouds began to roll in, indicating that Todd Bowles and his team got their work in just in time and set themselves up to roll into Day 2 of mini-camp on Wednesday.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Matt Matera, Bailey Adams and Adam Slivon were at One Buc Place to check out all of the action as the Bucs began their final window of practices before the summer break that will take place from mid-June until training camp starts in late-July.

Here are Pewter Report’s observations from Tuesday morning’s mini-camp practice:

Arrivals, DNPs And One Key Absence From Day 1 Of Bucs Mini-Camp

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs, TE Ko Kieft and SS Kaevon Merriweather – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The major difference between OTAs (organized team activities) and mandatory mini-camp is that the three days of mini-camp are, well, mandatory. The Bucs nearly had perfect attendance for Day 1 on Tuesday. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs was at practice after holding out of the voluntary OTAs over the last few weeks. By appearing for mini-camp, Wirfs will avoid being fined by the team as a “hold in.”

Wirfs and his camp are working toward a new long-term contract with the Bucs, and the three-time Pro Bowler doesn’t want to risk injury before he gets his new mega-deal. So, while Wirfs was there for practice, he didn’t participate.

Others who were in attendance for Tuesday’s practice but didn’t participate were cornerback Jamel Dean, tight end Ko Kieft, safety Kaevon Merriweather and wide receivers Kameron Johnson and Trey Palmer and quarterback Zack Annexstad.

There were a couple of notable arrivals for Tampa Bay on Tuesday, with a much more svelte Vita Vea showing up after being absent for the OTA practices open to the media. Additionally, recently signed receivers Sterling Shepard and Cody Thompson were in attendance on Tuesday.

The one big absence for the Bucs on Tuesday was veteran outside linebacker Randy Gregory. He wasn’t present for OTAs either, and head coach Todd Bowles said after practice that the veteran’s absence was unexcused and that the team will “deal with it.”

It was recently reported that Gregory is suing the NFL, though it’s unclear whether his absence this offseason is related to that.

Bowles says Randy Gregory’s absence was unexcused and they’ll deal with it. Says it’s disappointing when anyone’s not here.

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) June 11, 2024

Vita Vea Slimmer After Offseason Training With A Former Bucs DL

Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

We’ve heard all offseason about Vita Vea coming into the summer in better shape, and Bucs general manager Jason Licht said during a recent Pewter Report Podcast appearance that the veteran nose tackle has spent time training with former Buccaneer lineman and Super Bowl LV champion Ndamukong Suh.

But Vea wasn’t in attendance for the days of OTAs that were open to the media, so Tuesday was our first look at the slimmed-down version of Tampa Bay’s big nose tackle. He looked noticeably trimmer and in better shape, which should help him with his goals of staying on the field more, avoiding nagging injuries and potentially extending his career. Of course, he has always been impressively quick and agile for his size, and that speed and agility are certainly still present within his game.

Head coach Todd Bowles said after practice that Vea looks good and may even be a little faster than he was last year. The team is happy with where he is right now, even if Vea himself didn’t want to get into the specifics of his weight. With a smile, he said he is right around 347 pounds, which has been his listed weight since he entered the NFL in 2018. What Vea did go into detail about, though, was his time with Suh.

Vea said that Suh has invited him to work out in the offseason year after year and while he always said he was going to, this was the year he finally pulled the trigger and did so. He spent about two weeks in Portland with Suh and talked at length about how much he has learned from his former teammate both on and off the field.

Sterling Shepard’s Introduction To The Tampa Heat

Bucs WR Sterling Shepard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs signed longtime Giants wide receiver and former Oklahoma Sooner Sterling Shepard last week, and as familiar as he is with quarterback Baker Mayfield from their time in Norman, what he’s less familiar with is the Tampa heat.

It wasn’t the hottest day at the AdventHealth Training Center, especially compared to some of the recent OTAs and what will soon come in training camp. But even a cloudier, breezier day like Tuesday was a wake-up call for Shepard, who cited the heat and humidity a couple of times in his post-practice press conference.

Shepard admitted that he’ll have to get used to the heat and joked that while his new Bucs teammates were loving the weather on Tuesday, he couldn’t agree. The veteran wide receiver was also thrown right into the fire during mini-camp as he got his first taste of Liam Coen’s offense. He told the media after practice that his head was spinning a bit, but having these three days of mini-camp to get his feet wet before training camp starts late next month should help.

Highlights From Day 1 Of Bucs Mini-Camp

The early portions of practice were, as usual, instructional and slower. But when things ramped up in 11-on-11s, there were quite a few highlights on both sides of the ball. Todd Bowles’ defense was really getting after the quarterback, at least as much as it could without pads on. Vita Vea had two would-be sacks, as did rookie outside linebacker Chris Braswell.

Safety Jordan Whitehead had another after coming in free on a blitz.

SirVocea Dennis had a pass breakup early in 11-on-11s, while undrafted rookies Kalen DeLoach and Marcus Banks later teamed up to tip a pass away after what was a near-interception. Speaking of interceptions, Tyrek Funderburk, an undrafted cornerback out of App State, had an interception later on in practice.

The offense wasn’t without its own highlights on the day. Tight end Cade Otton was arguably the offensive player of the day, first making a catch near the right sideline in 11-on-11s before making a spectacular one-handed grab down the field shortly after. He was a popular target throughout the course of the 11-on-11 period, making a few more catches later on as well.

When the Bucs moved into red zone work late in practice, both Baker Mayfield and John Wolford made highlight-worthy throws. First, it was Wolford with a dime to Ryan Miller in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. Then, Mayfield found third-round pick Jalen McMillan in the other corner of the end zone to put an exclamation point on the end of practice.

The Bucs will be back at it for Day 2 of mini-camp on Wednesday morning.