The Bucs were back together again at the AdventHealth Training Center Wednesday morning for another mini-camp practice, one that was originally supposed to serve as their second of three this week. But with the announcement that Thursday’s mini-camp session was canceled, Wednesday became the team’s final workout before it breaks for the next five weeks.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Matt Matera, Bailey Adams and Kat Beutel were on hand at One Buc Place for Wednesday’s mini-camp finale. Here are their observations and takeaways from Day 2.

Confident With Where They Are, Bucs Break For The Summer

The Bucs had practices on all three of their allotted days during the first week of OTAs at the end of May, and then they had all three practices the following week to begin June. But in the final week of OTAs, the team was given Tuesday off before the much-talked-about Wednesday practice that the league took away due to too many guys hitting the ground during an earlier OTA workout.

Tampa Bay held its final OTA practice on Thursday before coming back for mini-camp this week. So, with two days off last week resulting in only seven out of nine possible OTA sessions being used, why cancel the final mini-camp practice on Thursday? Simply put, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and his staff are happy with where the team is after the work they’ve put in this summer.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“We had a good practice. Tomorrow’s practice was going to be more of the younger guys anyway,” Bowles said after Wednesday’s practice. “They got a lot of reps today, especially closing out the two minutes, so we feel good with where we are.”

The younger guys did get plenty of work in during Wednesday’s 90-minute practice, especially in the waning moments as Bowles said. During that period – a two-minute drill led by rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels – the offense was looking to at least get into field goal range with 1:24 to work with on the clock. Daniels got the drive started with a slant across the middle to Kameron Johnson for a first down.

From there, Daniels threw incomplete passes on first and second down with a false start penalty mixed in. On 3rd & 15, he found Garrett Greene for a chunk of yardage to make it a fourth-and-short situation. On fourth down, the Bucs offense converted as Daniels found David Sills V for a short gain. But that’s where the drive stalled, as Daniels threw incomplete deep, cornerback Ayden Garnes dropped an interception and then the defense eventually made a fourth-down stop to finish practice.

With that, the Bucs will head into their summer break before returning to begin training camp near the end of July.

Bucs Get Standout Day From A Trio Of Pass Catchers

The offense ruled much of the day through quick hitters in the passing game, and that effort was led by a trio of pass catchers of different makeups. Veteran running back Kenny Gainwell, a newcomer to the Bucs offense, was a major standout. During 7-on-7 work, he caught a fade for a touchdown from Baker Mayfield, going up to make a leaping catch before falling to the ground and securing the ball.

Bucs Kenneth Gainwell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Gainwell later caught a screen pass out of the backfield for a nice gain and later brought one in on a wheel route. It was a big practice for the new Buccaneer running back, and it was representative of the type of summer he had in Tampa Bay’s offense. Getting a lot of the reps with the starters due to Bucky Irving’s recovery from injury, Gainwell shined both as a runner and as a pass catcher. But it was his work in the passing game that stood out the most. It really looks like he’ll be a big part of the passing game under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

The next big-time performance for a pass catcher during Wednesday’s practice came from second-year receiver Tez Johnson. The undersized-but-elusive receiver had a great showing on Tuesday, and he stacked another impressive day on top of it to continue displaying his growth since his five-touchdown rookie season in 2025.

Johnson had the first big touchdown of the day, hauling in a pass from Jake Browning near the sideline before taking it the rest of the way to the end zone. He later looked to make a spectacular catch in the back of the end zone during 7-on-7s, though it was on the far side of the field and it was unclear whether he got both feet in bounds. Nonetheless, it was a spectacularly athletic catch. He hauled in a couple more passes throughout the day as well, serving as a go-to target for both Browning and Connor Bazelak.

The third in the trio of impressive pass catchers from Wednesday’s practice was David Sills V. The 30-year-old veteran was everywhere on Wednesday.

Bucs WR David Sills V – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In addition to the fourth-down catch he had on a Jalon Daniels pass during the last 11-on-11 period, the 6-foot-3 receiver caught two touchdowns during 7-on-7 red zone work, with the second coming on a deeper throw from Daniels to the back of the end zone.

While Tampa Bay is stacked at the wide receiver position with Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson and Ted Hurst leading the way, Sills will be an interesting one to watch come training camp as he looks to latch on as one of the final receivers on the Bucs’ 53-man roster.

He has an edge in experience over guys like Kam Johnson, Garrett Greene, Dennis Houston and Eric Rivers Jr., particularly within Zac Robinson’s offense given their time together in Atlanta. But his biggest differentiator might be his size. With Mike Evans gone, the offense is lacking some length at the receiver position outside of Hurst, a 6-foot-4 rookie. So, Sills’ 6-foot-3 stature could play into his favor come roster cutdown time.

Josh Hayes’ Pick-Six Highlights The Defense’s Day

On a day that didn’t feature too many splash plays from the defense, one big one stood out. During an early 11-on-11 period, Josh Hayes was in the right place at the right time as Tez Johnson slipped coming out of his break. The throw from Jake Browning was already out, and Hayes was there to pick it off and take it back to the end zone untouched for a pick-six.

Bucs CB Josh Hayes – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It didn’t take much from Hayes, but if anything, it showed he was in the right spot. And given the proclivity many Buccaneer defenders tend to show for dropping interceptions, the fourth-year cornerback/special teams star holding on for the pick was a welcome sight, too.

This was a unique summer for Hayes. He’s always been more of a special teams playmaker than a viable cornerback option, but with second-year corner Benjamin Morrison missing more time during OTAs and mini-camp due to injury, it’s been Hayes who has benefitted from increased reps. And if Tampa Bay doesn’t go out and add a veteran cornerback before the season, Hayes may have a distinct advantage over some of the other depth cornerback options on the roster.

The team brought in Chase Lucas and Kemon Hall during free agency, but neither has starting experience. While it wasn’t the prettiest sight to see at times, Hayes does have starting experience under his belt. Of course, there’s also the edge he has in terms of experience in Todd Bowles’ defense. Training camp will be a big opportunity for the former K-Stater, and it’ll be interesting to see if he takes advantage of it.

Other Observations And Takeaways From Day 2 Of Bucs Mini-Camp

Here are some quick-hitting observations and takeaways from the Bucs’ final practice before summer break:

• There was an unfortunate moment during Wednesday’s practice where outside linebackers Mo Kamara and Chris Braswell collided during a drill. Just after Kamara slipped while bending around the corner, the two had to run it again. This time, Braswell came around a little wide and the two clipped each other, with Kamara getting the worst of it. He stayed down for some time before gingerly walking off the field with a trainer.

Bucs OLB Mo Kamara – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Chris Godwin Jr. continued to have a great summer. He was a little less involved on Wednesday, but he has been heavily featured in the short-to-intermediate passing game. He’s such a good chain-mover and was at his best early in 2024 under Liam Coen, and the return to a scheme similar to Coen’s under Zac Robinson looks to be benefitting him in a big way.
• Ted Hurst has drawn rave reviews from his teammates this week. Baker Mayfield spoke highly of the rookie receiver on Tuesday before both Antoine Winfield Jr. and Emeka Egbuka praised his physical makeup, skill set and work ethic after Wednesday’s practice.
• Rookie receiver Dean Patterson, undrafted out of Georgia Tech, made a couple of nice plays early on in Wednesday’s 11-on-11 period. Eric Rivers Jr., another Georgia Tech rookie, had a touchdown in 7-on-7 work.
• The difference in which the Bucs are practicing during special teams periods this year compared to past years is unbelievable. Everything they’re doing under Danny Smith is done with intention and urgency, and the unit’s intensity is matching that of the 72-year-old Smith, who is one of the loudest coaches on the field. On Wednesday, Smith started a punt return drill with only one minute left in the practice period, yet the group got through it in 45 seconds.

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

• After practice, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said he’s not concerned about Vita Vea’s contract situation affecting Vea or the team. He simply said they’ve been through this before with other players and it’s just a part of the business.