The Bucs 2022 mandatory mini-camp began on Tuesday, June 7 at the AdventHealth Training Center. Every Tampa Bay player was in attendance with the exception of rookie running back Rachaad White, and receiver Chris Godwin and linebacker Grant Stuard – both of whom are injured. White wasn’t at the facility on Monday and his absence was excused. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said he’ll return to mini-camp on Wednesday.

Bucs senior assistant to GM Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians was in attendance on Tuesday. Arians has stayed away during the offseason, but was in town for the mini-camp. He started the practice riding around on his golf cart before standing next to offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to watch the rest of it.

Several Bucs players were in attendance, but did not participate due to injuries. Those players included safety Antoine Winfield, Jr., outside linebacker Anthony Nelson, linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Rashard Robinson, who was sporting a cast. On offense, receivers Scotty Miller, Russell Gage and Jerreth Sterns, tight end Cade Otton weren’t practicing.

Brady Shines In Return To Action

The media got its first look at Bucs quarterback Tom Brady on Tuesday. Brady participated in the Phase II part of the offseason workouts last month, but skipped OTAs. He and backup Blaine Gabbert and second-year QB Kyle Trask all split reps during practice.

Brady looked particularly sharp going 16-for-20 in mixed 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. He had three incompletions including a deep pass that sailed over the head of Jaelon Darden. His other misfire came on a pass that was intended for Mike Evans that ended up in the hands of Mike Edwards for an INT. Our view of the goal line plays was obstructed for most of that period, but Brady looked razor sharp for the most part.

Bucs QBs Blaine Gabbert, Kyle Trask and Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With White missing practice Ke’Shawn Vaughn was given more of an opportunity to showcase his progression. The third-year back didn’t disappoint. He made several catches from both Brady and Trask, including a beautiful leaping catch from Trask in traffic.

The play of the day in the goal line period might have been Gabbert rolling to his right and lofting a pass up in the middle of the end zone for 6-foot-6 tight end Codey McElroy, who hauled it in. The touchdown came at the expense of cornerback Dee Delaney, who has been sensational during the offseason.

Another highlight play came early on from Mike Evans, who was making his practice debut. Covered down the left sideline by Dee Delaney, Brady threw towards Evans where Delaney got a hand on it. But because of the height advantage, Evans was able to make a juggling catch on the deflected pass and stay in bounds as both players fought for the ball and hit the ground. The ref ruled it a catch and offensive players were celebrating the accomplishment. It was a really nice play from Delaney, but a better one from Evans. It just showed why Evans is the greatest offensive player of all time in Bucs history.

Fournette Must Shed Some Weight

The media got its first look at Bucs running back Leonard Fournette on Tuesday. Fournette skipped the OTAs, but it looked like he hadn’t skipped any meals. The Bucs’ big back looked even bigger – and admitted that he weighed “240-something” with some pudginess around his midsection.

Fournette said we wanted to get down to 228-230 pounds, which is his optimal playing weight. He certainly has plenty of time as training camp doesn’t start until late July and Tampa Bay doesn’t kick off the season in Dallas until September 11. If Fournette doesn’t get in better shape by then the Bucs have a pair of young running backs in Vaughn and White who would be willing and able to take on some of the workload.

There were times last year when Fournette got a little too heavy, which irked some on the coaching staff. After investing $7 million per season in Fournette with a new three-year deal, the Bucs can’t afford to have him out of shape by the time the season rolls around.

Hicks Is A Big, Big Man

Bucs DT Akiem Hicks – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Hicks is listed at 324 pounds on the roster on the team’s website, but was listed at 352 on the roster the team handed out to the media before practice. Asked where he was at weight-wise and what weight he wanted to play at, Hicks declined to comment after practice. He certainly looks closer to 350 pounds than he does 324 though – yet Hicks carries the weight well. He’s just a massive man.

Pairing Hicks next to 350-plus-pound nose tackle Vita Vea and 318-pound defensive end Will Gholston would give the Bucs one of the biggest defensive lines in the league. Hicks said he’s really looking forward to playing next to Vea.

“I’ve been watching him for a couple years, and one of the things that I love that he does is push up the field,” Hicks said. “He disrupts that pocket quite a bit. And it’s something that guys that play with power – like myself – we admire.”

According to Bowles, his training camp performance will decide whether Hicks is a reserve or a co-starter along with rookie Logan Hall. For more on what Hicks brings to the Bucs, check out some of his film in Josh Queipo’s Grinding The Tape column.

A Few Bucs Defenders Step Up

Tampa Bay’s defense made several plays on the day and the players were their usual chippy, vocal selves. Reserve nose tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches was active and had a would-be sack on Trask. He also showed up in the run game, as he usually does.

While Edwards got the first interception of the season off Brady in 7-on-7’s. Delaney also had yet another impressive practice building upon his stellar OTAs. He played perfect coverage on Evans down the sideline putting himself into position to knock the ball away before Evans made the miraculous catch. Delaney and Edwards drew praise from Bowles after practice.

K.J. Britt got to work with all of the starters with David out. Just as importantly, it was a chance to play against Brady and the rest of the starters on offense. Bowles said that Britt is playing two positions at the same time with. He’s been a”Mike” linebacker, which he already knows of, and is also learning “Mo” linebacker. He held his own in that regard.