The Buccaneers’ practice on Thursday morning was the only one open to the media this week and took place under sunny skies and warm temperatures that approached 90 degrees at the AdventHealth Training Center.

Today’s practice was the final day of Phase II, which is a practice with helmets, shorts and jerseys where units can work together, but no 11-on-11s, 7-on-7s or 1-on-1s between the offense and defense were allowed. Coaches are allowed to be on the field during Phase II practices, but were not allowed to be on the field with the players last week during the ramp up period.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Friday’s practice marks the first “OTA” (organized team activity) practice where Tampa Bay’s offensive and defensive players are allowed to square off. That practice, and any on-field practices during the weekend, will be closed to the media.

Next week’s practices, which will be open to the media, will see the Buccaneers in pads nearly every day beginning on Monday, August 17. When Tampa Bay won’t be in pads the team will be in shells, which is helmets, shoulder pads, jerseys and shorts.

The media was allowed to watch the first hour of practice from limited vantage points. The Bucs offense was much closer to where the media was allowed to congregate and view practice, so today’s practice report will center heavily on the offense.

One notable thing about the defense is that virtually the entire secondary has undergone jersey number changes, and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and safety Jordan Whitehead looked significantly bigger than they did a year ago. It’s obvious both young defensive backs have hit the weight room hard.

Seems like the whole #Bucs secondary has new numbers this year:

SMB 23
Davis 24
Adams 26
Edwards 32
Whitehead 33

Initial impression? These dudes have been hitting the weight room HARD. Murphy-Bunting and Whitehead look much bigger and really stand out.

— PewterReport (@PewterReport) August 13, 2020

The quarterbacks, including 43-year old Tom Brady, began the day by throwing to tight ends Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard and running backs Ronald Jones II and LeSean McCoy. Jones, who said he’s gained an additional seven or eight pounds of mass this offseason during his training after playing last year at 218 pounds, looks every bit of 225 pounds. His physical transformation over the last two years is quite incredible after arriving in Tampa Bay as a second-round pick in 2018 weighing just 205 pounds.

#Bucs QB Tom Brady shows off his live arm during individual drills, as the QBs throw to TEs Rob Gronkowski and OJ Howard and RBs Ronald Jones and LeSean McCoy. pic.twitter.com/nRu4qX8ysk

— PewterReport (@PewterReport) August 13, 2020

As Bucs center Ryan Jensen mentioned earlier in the week, Brady does have a live arm and can really push the ball on short and intermediate passes. The Bucs didn’t do too much downfield passing during Thursday’s open portion of practice outside of some touch passes to receivers slightly beyond 20 yards.

Gronkowski is huge in person, and is slightly bigger than O.J. Howard. Gronkowski is 6-foot-6, 268 pounds, whereas Howard is 6-foot-6, 251 pounds. Cameron Brate is a year removed from hip surgery after dealing with that injury from the 2018 season – and it shows.

Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Brate seemed a step slower last year on the field and that showed in his production as his yards per catch dropped from 12.3 yards in 2017 to 9.6 yards in 2018 to 8.6 yards last season. Yet in the first real practice that the media got to view, Brate seemed like he had more quickness and a bit more burst than he’s had over the last two years.

As a seven-year veteran Brate seems like a lock to make the team, but the Harvard product will be fighting for playing time with the team’s starters Gronkowski and Howard, in addition to blocking tight end Antony Auclair. Codey McElroy is quite an athlete at 6-foot-6, 258 pounds and will put pressure on Tanner Hudson for a practice squad spot. Hudson needs to make strides as a blocker in practice this year to stay in Tampa Bay, especially without any preseason games to show improvement.

Most of the practice was spent watching individual units work. The QBs worked on throwing on the run and moving around in a simulated pocket, then firing the ball. There weren’t any surprises from Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin as both have decent zip on the ball and enough agility to go through the drill effortlessly, with the more athletic Gabbert performing slightly better.

Undrafted free agent quarterback Reid Sinnett looks like he belongs from a movement and arm strength standpoint. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds he is the prototype pocket passer that head coach Bruce Arians likes. In years past the Bucs’ fourth QB in training camp has had lesser physical tools to work with and a weaker arm. That doesn’t appear to be the case initially with Sinnett. We’ll see how he looks as camp progresses.

Bucs RB LeSean McCoy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s hard to draw any assumptions from the running back group other than the fact that rookie running back Raymond Calais is definitely the shortest at 5-foot-8, 188 pounds. He’s not as short and squatty as 5-foot-6, 190-pound retired NFL veteran Darren Sproles is, but he kind of resembles Sproles a bit wearing that No. 43 jersey.

The one thing about the running back group that is clear is the energy that the veteran McCoy brings to the group. Holdovers Jones, Dare Ogunbowale and T.J. Logan aren’t very vocal to begin with, but McCoy is quite the talker. Having a player entering his 12th year in the league should do wonders for the development of the Bucs’ young runners, including Ke’Shawn Vaughn, this year’s third-round pick. Tampa Bay’s running backs spent time working on ball security drills on Thursday during the individual session.

#Bucs RBs including veteran LeSean McCoy (25) going through drills during today’s practice. pic.twitter.com/pat3zXa6YH

— PewterReport (@PewterReport) August 13, 2020

Speaking of rookies, right tackle Tristan Wirfs looks every bit of 6-foot-5, 320 pounds. He’s a massive lineman with tree trunk legs and showed good knee bend and pad level when hitting the bag. Being a waist-bender is just about the worst thing an offensive lineman can be, especially at the NFL level, but Wirfs’ lower body is so well developed in the weight room that he bends at the knees quite fluidly.

The offensive line didn’t do too much outside of working on steps and footwork in some drills and then hitting the bags and working on pad level and proper punch technique. Offensive line coach Joe Gilbert worked with all four tackles – Wirfs, Donovan Smith, Joe Haeg and Josh Wells – while running game coordinator Harold Goodwin worked with the Bucs’ interior offensive linemen.

Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The departure of second-year tackle Brad Seaton as a COVID-19 opt-out hurts the depth at tackle from a practice standpoint. The four remaining tackles all figure to stick on the 53-man roster, with Haeg having the positional flexibility to move inside to guard, too.

Mike Evans and Chris Godwin looked like the Pro Bowlers that they are, and Scotty Miller, Justin Watson and John Franklin III were the next in line for reps behind those two. Miller hopes to have his hamstring issues behind him. Watson and Franklin each had a drop, and will need to be really consistent in camp, in addition to starring on special teams, to secure a place on the roster.

It’s unclear whether the Bucs will keep five or six receivers this year on the 53-man roster, and one of the players they were counting on, Tyler Johnson, this year’s fifth-round pick, was sidelined along with undrafted free agent receiver Josh Pearson. Both might have been dealing with soreness or injuries, and were working out with Bucs speed coach Roger Kingdom.

#Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, 67, and offensive assistant Tom Moore, 81, are masked up and socially distancing, but aren’t shying away from being close to the action in practice despite being elderly and more at risk for COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/ugXw5y8kTK

— PewterReport (@PewterReport) August 13, 2020

Hopefully the vantage point shifts on Monday where PewterReport.com and the media can gain a better view of Tampa Bay’s defenders as the team dons pads for the first time in 2020 in preparation for a trip to New Orleans to face the defending NFC South champion Saints in Week 1.