The Bucs were back on the practice fields at the AdventHealth Training Center on Wednesday morning for the second day of their mandatory mini-camp. Day 2 was far hotter than Day 1, with little cloud cover for much of practice and little-to-no breeze. The hotter conditions led to a couple of Bucs players leaving practice early, with cornerback Zyon McCollum being the first and tight end Tanner Taula being next. Head coach Todd Bowles said after practice that McCollum’s departure was simply related to hydration.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Matt Matera, Bailey Adams and Adam Slivon were in attendance at One Buc Place to catch all of the action, as well as post-practice press conferences from Bowles, quarterback Baker Mayfield, linebacker Lavonte David and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby.

Here are Pewter Report’s observations from Day 2 of Bucs mini-camp:

Bucs Still Have One Player Missing While Some Players Watched On

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Veteran outside linebacker Randy Gregory was once again missing from practice on Wednesday, making that two straight absences from the team’s mandatory camp after he also missed voluntary OTAs. He is subject to fines, and it remains unknown why he has yet to appear at practice with his new team. With a chance to provide some clarity after practice, Todd Bowles didn’t have much to say.

Bowles was asked directly about Gregory’s absence and simply said he would “coach the guys who are here.” Asked if he had talked with Gregory, Bowles reiterated that he would just coach those who were at practice.

Asked about Randy Gregory’s absence from Bucs mini-camp, Todd Bowles says he will coach the guys who are here. When asked if he’s talked to Gregory, he reiterated that he’ll coach the guys who are here.

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) June 12, 2024

Linebacker Lavonte David was later asked about the ongoing absence of his fellow Nebraska Cornhusker, and he said that they haven’t spoken but he prefers not to dip into other people’s business when they have something going on. David said all he can do is pray for Gregory and that he knows he’ll be here once training camp rolls around.

Gregory was the Bucs’ only absence, but there remained a group of players who were present but sidelined for mini-camp. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs, wide receiver Trey Palmer, cornerback Jamel Dean, tight end Ko Kieft and quarterback Zack Annexstad remained out, plus wide receiver Mike Evans watched on after participating on Tuesday.

Jalen McMillan Continues To Make An Impression

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

If tight end Cade Otton was the offensive player of the day on Tuesday, it’s pretty safe to say that rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan was the offense’s star during Wednesday’s practice.

He and Baker Mayfield have already begun to develop a strong connection, as evidenced by the first play of the Bucs’ 11-on-11 period. McMillan, Tampa Bay’s third-round pick this year, got open near the left sideline and Mayfield threaded a perfect throw to him for a nice chunk of yardage.

McMillan went on to make three or four more catches throughout the rest of practice, and he drew praise from Mayfield when the quarterback spoke with the media after practice.

“He’s really friendly at the top of his routes, attacks the ball, catches with his hands. Just explosive, a smooth route runner,” Mayfield said of McMillan. “So just now, having him put it all together in the offense, get all these alerts, these cans and playing fast – I think for him, really the next step is mastering the offense so he can use that physical talent that he has.”

Bucs Offense “Starting To Figure It Out”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While the Bucs are bringing back their core from the 2023 season, the big change this offseason was new offensive coordinator Liam Coen replacing Dave Canales, who left to become the Panthers’ new head coach.

There are similarities between Coen and Canales’ systems, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some growing pains to be had for Tampa Bay this summer. Running back Rachaad White mentioned Tuesday how difficult this offense can be, and quarterback Baker Mayfield acknowledged that Wednesday as well.

“That’s why we do this time right now. It is hard,” Mayfield said. “That’s why you put stuff on tape. You learn from your mistakes and the good stuff. I think today, the last couple of days, being really competitive with the defense. It’s a lot of learning tape to go from there, but you can tell our guys are starting to figure it out.

“That’s what you really want to have at this point of the offseason. To where you kind of master it a little bit, and then you come back and start from scratch in training camp, reinstall everything where guys have a little knowledge of it, and you go from there.”

As the Bucs continue to progress as an offense into training camp, count head coach Todd Bowles among those who are looking forward to seeing it all together. Rather than singling out specific players he’s ready to see come July and August, he mentioned Liam Coen’s offensive system as a whole.

When asked about which players he’s looking forward to seeing in pads during training camp, #Bucs HC Todd Bowles mentioned that there isn’t guys specifically but rather the offensive system coming together. pic.twitter.com/Ep55gXDxLO

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) June 12, 2024

More Shuffling With The Bucs Offensive Line

After opening mini-camp with a starting offensive line that featured rookie Graham Barton at center and Ben Bredeson at left guard, the Bucs continued to shuffle on Wednesday morning. Robert Hainsey was back in as the starting center, while Sua Opeta took over at left guard. This follows in line with what Tampa Bay did throughout its OTAs, and it’ll likely continue into training camp.

This shuffling is a departure from last year, when the Bucs essentially set their starting five offensive linemen from the jump and allowed them to build chemistry as a unit throughout training camp and the preseason. However, with Tristan Wirfs set at left tackle, Cody Mauch set at right guard and Luke Goedeke set at right tackle, it looks like Tampa Bay will take its time to decide where Barton will fit into plans. From there, it’ll allow the coaches to decide on that final spot.

Bucs Spending A Lot Of Time On Kickoff Return Reps

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Throughout OTAs and now into mini-camp, the Bucs have been spending plenty of practice time on special teams work. In particular, they’ve been working on kickoff return, which is especially important right now given the new kickoff rules being introduced to the NFL in 2024. New special teams coach Thomas McGaughey is charged with getting his units in order and not only adapting to the change, but doing so in a way that yields high-impact results.

The Bucs have cycled through some different kick returner options in recent weeks and have continued to do so following the release of Deven Thompkins, their return man between 2022-2023. Rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan, rookie running back Bucky Irving, Sean Tucker and Chase Edmonds all mixed in during the full kickoff drill, while Tanner Knue, Latreal Jones, Christian Izien, Jordan Whitehead, Marcus Banks and Ryan Miller were some others who got reps catching kicks when the team was going half-speed.

Training camp will be huge for competition all across the board, and the return job is going to be one of the bigger battles to watch once the exhibition games begin in August.

Highlights From Day 2 Of Bucs Mini-Camp

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In addition to Jalen McMillan making some plays throughout the team’s 11-on-11 period, 2023 undrafted free agent Ryan Miller had himself a nice practice. After hauling in a red-zone touchdown from John Wolford on Tuesday, Miller made a few more plays on Wednesday and seems to be positioning himself well in the battle for one of the last receiver spots.

Another wide receiver who made a big play was fellow 2023 undrafted free agent Rakim Jarrett, who caught an absolute dime from Baker Mayfield during the Bucs’ red zone period. Jarrett beat new cornerback Bryce Hall for the touchdown, continuing what was a rough day for the former Jet.

Tampa Bay’s offense wasn’t without its mistakes during 11-on-11s, though, as Rachaad White, Sterling Shepard and Devin Culp all had drops.

Defensively, Yaya Diaby had a would-be sack while Tyrek Funderburk followed up his interception on Tuesday with a near-interception that he dropped. As if there was any doubt, Lavonte David proved he still has it, as he had one of the highlights of 11-on-11s. The veteran linebacker, who is still a beast in coverage, made a diving pass breakup on a pass intended for Chris Godwin over the middle.

The Bucs will be back on the field at the Advent Health Training Center Thursday morning to wrap up mini-camp and send themselves into their summer break.