The Bucs returned to the fields at the AdventHealth Training Center late Thursday morning for their final OTA practice ahead of next week’s mandatory mini-camp. Despite the partly cloudy skies, it was a blazing hot morning-turned-afternoon as Tampa Bay continued to get its work in with this phase of the offseason winding down.

When the Bucs planned out their OTA schedule, Thursday was supposed to be practice nine out of nine. Instead, it was practice seven out of nine (more on that later). Still, attendance remained strong for the team, with Al-Quadin Muhammad, Christian Rozeboom and Vita Vea being the only known absences from Thursday’s session, which ran from 10:50 a.m. until around 12:25 p.m.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds, Matt Matera and Bailey Adams were on hand for all the action at One Buc Place. Here are some of the main observations and takeaways from the day.

Bucs Return To Practice After Two Days Off

So, why was this only OTA practice seven out of the planned nine for Tampa Bay? As it turned out, head coach Todd Bowles gave the team a day off on Tuesday for putting in a lot of hard work. But Wednesday was ultimately an unplanned day off, Bowles told the media after practice.

“We gave them off Tuesday, Tuesday was their day off,” Bowles said. “Wednesday, by the league, looking at the first practice, we had too many guys on the ground, so they took a practice from us. So, Wednesday was by their doing, Tuesday was already set in motion for our doing. We cleaned it up after that, we understand we’re not trying to get somebody hurt. That was the basis of it.”

Bucs GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Teams have to submit their practice film to the league, and the league then reviews it. Ultimately, league officials flagged an earlier Bucs practice for having too many players hit the ground. As a result, Tampa Bay had a practice taken away. It’s a policy that’s in place to protect players, and apparently the NFL found that the Bucs might’ve gone a little too hard for what was just a shorts/jerseys/helmets practice.

Sure, this cost the team a June practice. But this is about the bigger picture.

Some players said after last season that they thought too many walkthroughs may have cost the team. Compare that to this situation? If this is an indicator of edgier, more intense practices and a team with a bit more attitude to it, that has to be good news for the Bucs.

Even from an observational standpoint, practices this offseason have had more pace and intensity to them… until Thursday’s. This final OTA practice felt a little more dialed back than others open to the media in the last couple of weeks, and perhaps that’s part of what Bowles meant by the team “cleaning it up.”

Still, you have to love the uptick in intensity.

Bucky Irving Returns To Bucs Practice In A Limited Capacity

After the Bucs’ first OTA practice on May 26, head coach Todd Bowles gave a bizarre answer regarding Bucky Irving’s recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.

“He’s coming along fine and he’s working out,” Bowles said at the time. “We expect him sometime back in the summer or fall and we look forward to him when he gets back.”

Pewter Report later reported that a source said the third-year running back was expected to be ready by training camp, so that’s definitely more “summer” than “fall.”

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

Thursday was definitely a step in the right direction and further confirmation of that report, as Bucky Irving was back on the field with his teammates at the start of practice rather than joining them late and watching from the sidelines as he did in recent weeks.

Irving went through early warmups with the team, took some handoffs from quarterback Baker Mayfield and completed some more individual work before sitting out during the team periods.

Irving will presumably continue to participate in a limited capacity during mini-camp next week, but this felt like great news as he makes his way back for training camp and the 2026 season.

Chris Godwin Jr. Shines During Thursday’s Practice

It was a lighter day for the Bucs in terms of 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods, but that didn’t stop veteran wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. from having himself a very nice day.

During the 7-on-7 red zone period, Godwin caught back-to-back touchdowns from Baker Mayfield, working his way open on intermediate routes to the right side of the field.

Later on, the team circled back to 11-on-11s and Godwin found success in that same part of the field, catching another pass from Mayfield for what would’ve been a first down.

Bucs WRs Chris Godwin Jr. and Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

How Godwin was winning during Thursday’s practice looked pretty similar to the ways he won so regularly at the start of the 2024 season under offensive coordinator Liam Coen. With all the talk about the 2026 offense looking more like that 2024 offense under new coordinator Zac Robinson, who comes from the same tree as Coen and is best friends with the Jaguars’ head coach, seeing Godwin in these positions to succeed is a welcome sight.

Before a devastating season-ending injury in 2024, Godwin was the one who had the offense humming at a high level. In seven games, he caught 50 of his 62 targets for 576 yards (11.5 avg.) and five touchdowns. While he’s crossed over 30 years old now, if Godwin can get back to that type of player in Robinson’s offense or even get close to it, it could go a long way in terms of making up for the loss of Mike Evans and putting the Bucs in a position to have some major success this year.

Other Observations And Takeaways From Thursday’s OTA Practice

Here are some quick-hitting observations and takeaways from the action at One Buc Place on Thursday:

• Bucky Irving wasn’t the only player who made his return to the practice fields on Thursday. Rookie defensive tackle DeMonte Capeheart took part in OTAs for the first time as well. Capehart, the team’s fifth-round pick, had offseason wrist surgery, but is on his way back and could be on track to be full go for his first NFL training camp.

Bucs DT DeMonte Capehart – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Second-year cornerback Benjamin Morrison didn’t participate in Thursday’s practice, with head coach Todd Bowles telling the media he’s “nicked up” with a “leg injury.”
• The Buccaneers offense was scoring touchdown after touchdown in the 7-0n-7 red zone period. After Chris Godwin Jr. caught two touchdowns, rookie tight end Bauer Sharp caught one from Jake Browning. Browning then found second-year running back Josh Williams for a touchdown before throwing another to Dennis Houston, who was also back to practice after missing time earlier in OTAs.
• During 11-on-11s, Jalen McMillan made a great catch on the left side of the field, going up and high pointing the ball. But a couple of plays later, he dropped a pass.
• In the early 11-on-11 period, second-year outside linebacker David Walker came up with a fumble recovery.
• After practice, the Bucs held their 12th annual Cut and Color Funds the Cure event, benefitting the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Many players had their hair spraypainted red and orange by the kids in attendance, while COO Brian Ford went with a full buzzcut.