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INTRO: Bucs OTAs are over and obligatory mini-camp is up subsequent week, adopted by a six-week break for the summer time previous to coaching camp, which begins the final week of July. This week’s SR’s FAB 5 is geared round my observations and insights from watching three open OTAs during the last three weeks this offseason. Subsequent week’s SR’s FAB 5 column will probably be centered round my observations from three extra open practices throughout subsequent week’s mini-camp.
FAB 1. Bucs OTA Observations: Offense
After three open OTA practices by which the media bought to attend, listed below are my observations in regards to the Bucs offense.
RB Kenneth Gainwell Has Been A Standout For The Bucs Offense
The Bucs have been excited to see Bucky Irving again on the sector taking part within the OTAs Thursday for the primary time since his shoulder surgical procedure this offseason. But the crew is equally enthusiastic about new operating again Kenneth Gainwell, who head coach Todd Bowles proceed to check with as operating again 1B to Irving being 1A.
In different phrases, Gainwell, who signed a two-year, $14 million contract, isn’t going to be Irving’s backup like Rachaad White was final yr. Groups don’t pay operating backs $7 million per season to not carry and catch the ball.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and RB Bucky Irving – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
White was not a 1B operating again final yr in Tampa Bay. He was clearly the No. 2 runner behind Irving, who was coming off a rookie season the place he rushed for 1,155 yards and scored eight touchdowns. Look no additional than the truth that White performed in all 17 video games final yr, whereas Irving performed in simply 10, and he nonetheless completed 41 carries and 16 yards behind Irving on the yr statistically.
Sources inform me that Gainwell and Irving have gotten alongside fantastically nicely thus far. Not that there was any unhealthy blood between Irving and White final yr. It’s simply that White was in a contract yr and grew pissed off together with his lack of touches down the stretch upon Irving’s return from damage.
Gainwell has shortly picked up Zac Robinson’s playbook and has excelled as a receiver out of the backfield in addition to a runner with the pace to hit the sting in extensive zone and to see the cutback lanes, along with with the ability to run between the tackles in Tampa Bay’s hole scheme. Bowles praised Gainwell for his toughness and physicality, which is greater than his 5-foot-9, 200-pound body would recommend.
Gainwell stated he’s wanting ahead to operating the Pony bundle, which is a two-back set that former offensive coordinator Liam Coen launched in 2024, as soon as Irving is wholesome. Robinson ran some Pony bundle in Atlanta with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier on the sector on the identical time, and plans on incorporating that into this yr’s offense, too.
Zac Robinson’s Offense Will Please Bucs Followers
As anticipated, there are some very comparable options and ideas between new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s scheme and Liam Coen’s playbook from the profitable 2024 season. Each Robinson and Coen, who’re greatest mates, come from the Sean McVay teaching tree in Los Angeles.
With out revealing an excessive amount of and entering into specifics, I’m allowed to inform you that I haven’t seen any pistol formation, which Robinson ran a bunch in Atlanta. As Pewter Report has reported typically this offseason, the Falcons needed to run pistol due to the mobility points that rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had together with his earlier knee accidents, and that veteran QB Kirk Cousins had coming off an Achilles damage at age 36 throughout the 2024 season.
Bucs OC Zac Robinson, move recreation coordinator TJ Yates and QB Baker Mayfield – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Baker Mayfield is kind of cellular and operates very nicely below middle, so there’s no must run pistol in Tampa Bay. When Mayfield is below middle, he can function the play-action drop-backs in addition to the rollouts and waggles. And that’s what Robinson desires to do – like Coen did – and that’s get Mayfield concerned in play-action from below middle. Mayfield has additionally operated out of shotgun fairly a bit.
There’s additionally been a great deal of movement and bunch formations, that are staples of a McVay-Rams-based offense. I’d additionally say that Mayfield goes to see his completion proportion climb from final yr’s 63.2% nearer to the place it was in 2024, which was a franchise-record 71.4% – and I’ll go away it as much as you to determine what which means.
Different Offensive OTA Notes
• The Bucs have a humiliation of riches at offensive sort out with starters Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, in addition to two actually good backups in veteran Justin Skule, who returns from a yr in Minnesota, and Ben Chukwuma, final yr’s undrafted free agent sensation. However the Bucs even have a really promising developmental sort out in Paul Rubelt, a 6-foot-10, 310-pound sort out from UCF.
Generally known as “Tall Paul,” Rubelt will make the crew with a roster exemption as Tampa Bay’s IPP (Worldwide Pathway Program) participant. Each he and Chukwuma will get a ton of labor in coaching camp and enjoying time within the preseason, which can quickly develop them. In reality, Chukwuma, who began two video games instead of Wirfs final yr as a consequence of damage, has been taking a number of first-team reps in OTAs when Wirfs or Goedeke take a sequence off to relaxation their legs. He’s been the primary sort out off the bench fairly than Skule, who has extra enjoying expertise.
• Rookie receiver Ted Hurst has actually turned some heads within the offseason together with his means to catch the ball and makes performs in any respect three ranges – beneath, intermediate and down the sector. If his stage of success continues as soon as the pads on, the Bucs will actually be five-deep at extensive receiver, because the crew has actually preferred what it has seen from Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson, too.
• Bucs rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels has made some dynamic throws in follow. He has a stay arm and reveals actually good accuracy throwing beneath on the run. Daniels in all probability has the second strongest arm on the roster behind Baker Mayfield. The rookie has been rotating with second-year QB Connor Bazelak for third-team reps this offseason and it will likely be one of many extra attention-grabbing coaching camp battles to observe this August.
• Third-year tight finish Devin Culp missed half of the Bucs OTAs practices with a hamstring damage, and that got here on the worst time as rookie Bauer Sharp has regarded sharp (pun meant) in follow this offseason. Culp is anticipated to overlook the obligatory mini-camp however needs to be good to go for coaching camp the place he’ll have the struggle for his roster life on his arms going up towards Sharp for the TE4 spot on the depth chart behind Cade Otton, Payne Durham and Ko Kieft.
FAB 2. Bucs OTA Observations: Protection
After watching the three open OTA practices by which the media was in attendance for, listed below are my insights in regards to the Bucs protection.
Josiah Trotter’s Time To Shine Will Be When The Pads Come On
Rookie inside linebacker Josiah Trotter’s superpower is his power and physicality, which is why he appears to be like like a mere mortal operating round in a jersey and shorts throughout OTAs. The offseason has been good for Trotter because it’s given the crew’s second-round choose time to study Todd Bowles’ advanced protection and work on his move protection drops, which might be his weak spot proper now.
Trotter appears to be like a bit stiff in protection and jogs my memory of one other robust Bucs center linebacker in Hardy Nickerson from again within the day. When Nickerson dropped into protection it didn’t look fairly. The 6-foot-2, 233-pound Nickerson regarded stiff and robotic in his drops throughout the center, but it didn’t imply he wasn’t efficient. Nickerson had seven interceptions in seven years in Tampa Bay, together with three seasons with two picks.
Throughout Thursday’s follow Trotter went all the way down to attempt to catch a really low move from linebackers coach Mike Caldwell and couldn’t carry it in like new linebacker Alex Anzalone, who excels in move protection, can. That play was captured within the lead photograph for this week’s SR’s FAB 5 by Pewter Report’s Adam Warren above. The place Trotter has shined is hitting the sled the place he can exhibit his energy to stack and shed opposing offensive linemen.
Trotter is probably not as fluid as Anzalone is or like Lavonte David, Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles was as high protection linebackers. But when he can play center linebacker and be a bodily pressure like Nickerson was towards the run and as a blitzer, that will simply advantageous. Nickerson racked up 9 sacks throughout his enjoying days with the Bucs, and Trotter might definitely get way more sacks below Bowles, who likes to blitz his Mike linebacker.
“He’s a great player obviously, and he has the pedigree,” Anzalone stated of Trotter. “I grew up an Eagles fan, so I watched his dad rising up. … Clearly he is a good participant, second-round draft choose. You already know he has some studying to do and a few progress to do. That is actually good for him.
“I know he’s getting some team (11-on-11) reps now, and you know training camp will be really big for him and his development. As soon as he can pick up the playbook and just see the different concepts and routes and the things you need to do as a linebacker, he’ll be even better and ready once the season comes.”
Bucs Are Loaded At Nickelback
Jacob Parrish, final yr’s third-round choose, had a heck of a season as a rookie enjoying nickelback. Parrish completed with Tampa Bay’s fifth-highest grade on protection amongst starters with a 68.5 grade, in response to Professional Soccer Focus. The Kansas State product completed with 76 tackles, seven move breakups, two interceptions, two sacks and a fumble restoration.
This yr he’s additionally within the combine to begin at exterior cornerback the place he’s battling with Benjamin Morrison for the correct to interchange Jamel Dean, who departed in free company. Parrish, who has added 10 kilos of measurement and muscle this offseason and is over 205 kilos, performed exterior cornerback virtually completely at Okay-State, so this isn’t a overseas task for him. However he’s not the one one who’s enjoying within the slot in follow this offseason.
Bucs CB Jacob Parrish – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
“He splits it between corner and nickel,” Todd Bowles stated about Parrish. “Zyon [McCollum] will get quite a lot of nickel reps as nicely. So we form of flip them each two or three performs. One goes in and one goes out, so he will get all of his reps at nook and he will get all of his reps at nickel.
“Depending on the packages and who’s healthy and who isn’t, we know we can play him in two spots and possibly three if it’s an emergency type of situation. We’re happy with that right now. We’ve got to keep mixing them and see what we come out with at the end of training camp.”
Additionally within the combine at nickelback is Keionte Scott, the crew’s fourth-round choose. That provides Bowles three legit starting-caliber slot defenders, making the nickelback spot one of many deepest positions on the crew. And with Morrison, the Bucs actually like the truth that they’ve three starting-caliber exterior cornerbacks.
Different Defensive OTA Notes
• Whereas the cornerback place is extremely deep in Tampa Bay this yr, the deepest place on protection is definitely at defensive sort out. Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and A’Shawn Robinson are locked in as starters in Todd Bowles’ 3-4 base protection, however there will probably be an absolute battle royale in coaching camp for the three remaining roster spots on the 53 – primarily between Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Elijah Roberts, DeMonte Capehart, this yr’s fifth-round choose, Jayson Jones and Elijah Simmons. Newcomers Haggai Ndubuisi, Deshawn McKnight and Josiah Inexperienced can even be within the combine. This would be the best group to observe in camp.
• Rookie extensive receiver Ted Hurst isn’t simply serving to Tampa Bay’s offense together with his 6-foot-4 body, pace and large arms. He additionally performs a giant position in serving to Tampa Bay’s cornerbacks get reps towards a much bigger receiver in follow. The Bucs have three starting-caliber receivers which might be throughout 6-foot-1, 200 kilos in Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan. However with out 6-foot-5 Mike Evans on the roster this yr, Tampa Bay’s receiver room lacked peak till the crew drafted Hurst within the third spherical. The second-biggest receiver on the crew is newcomer David Sills V, who’s 6-foot-3, 210 kilos, and having him additionally helps give the cornerbacks a special look in protection.
Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
• Talking of measurement, 6-foot-3, 234-pound Alex Anzalone is without doubt one of the larger linebackers the Bucs have had lately. Additionally becoming a member of him in Tampa Bay are newcomers Josiah Trotter and Christian Rozeboom, each of whom are 6-foot-2. The beginning inside linebackers during the last three seasons have been Lavonte David, KJ Britt and SirVocea Dennis, all of whom have been 6-foot. Buccaneers inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell believes this yr’s taller linebackers will make it harder for opposing quarterbacks to finish quick passes throughout the center, which have plagued the crew in protection lately.
• After having a very good exhibiting throughout the offseason exercises and the OTAs, second-year cornerback Benjamin Morrison missed Thursday’s OTA follow with what head coach Todd Bowles referred to as a leg damage. I requested Bowles if it was a hamstring damage and he declined to debate what a part of the leg was bothering Morrison.
“He’s nicked up,” Bowles stated. “It’s just a leg injury.”
Hopefully this isn’t an indication of issues to return for Morrison, who missed the final day of obligatory mini-camp final yr as a consequence of a hamstring damage, adopted by a month of coaching camp and all three preseason video games and 7 video games throughout his rookie season with an injured hamstring.
FAB 3. It’s A Good Factor The Bucs Have Been “Too Physical” Throughout OTAs
“We gave them off Tuesday,” Bowles stated. “Tuesday was their day off. 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 by our doing. We cleaned it up after that and we understand that. We’re not trying to get anybody hurt. That was the basis of it.”
Bucs GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Too many gamers on the bottom means an excessive amount of contact throughout the OTAs, that are speculated to be non-contact per the foundations set forth within the Collective Bargaining Settlement between the NFL and the NFL Gamers Affiliation. For a Bucs crew that wasn’t terribly aggressive in follow final yr and wound up being too mushy on protection on gamedays, that is truly a welcomed sight.
All NFL groups tape their OTAs and switch them into the league for supervision the place an NFL compliance officer critiques them. If too many gamers hit the bottom as a consequence of contact within the offseason the league can step in and dock groups OTA practices and even advantageous the group and even the pinnacle coach. The Bucs didn’t get fined on this occasion.
“Yeah it was about three or four plays where they reported us,” Bowles stated. “We’re trying to practice safety as well. We’ve got a lot of new guys trying to learn how to practice, but we cleaned that up and took care of it.”
Coaching camp is a special story as soon as the pads come on. Gamers are allowed to hit the bottom as a lot as attainable, however there’s a advantageous line between being too bodily, which might put gamers in danger for damage. That’s why there isn’t any stay tackling throughout camp.
The guess right here is that we could also be on the verge of seeing a way more bodily coaching camp, particularly with some new defensive gamers who play with edge like defensive sort out A’Shawn Robinson, edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad and center linebacker Josiah Trotter. And that will be an excellent factor in Tampa Bay this yr.
FAB 4. Bucs Will Have All Fingers On Deck For Necessary Mini-Camp Subsequent Week
The Bucs have been completely thrilled with not simply the attendance of their voluntary offseason exercises and OTAs, however with the quantity of onerous work the crew has put in. Some are calling it the perfect offseason have had in years, which might be a precursor to a rebound season from Tampa Bay on the sector following final yr’s disappointing 8-9 season.
“We’ve always had great attendance,” head coach Todd Bowles stated. “Right now it’s just one or two [absences] as opposed to four or five. It’s always been great attendance, but the guys have been sharp.”
A kind of notable absences has been new exterior linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad, who has skipped the on-field OTA practices. However don’t consider Muhammad, who’s all the time in nice form and nicely conditioned, as Haason Reddick 2.0.
Bucs OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad – Photograph by: IMAGN Pictures – Junfu Han
As an alternative of figuring out on his personal till obligatory mini-camp like Reddick did final yr, Muhammad has been usually taking part within the crew conferences and particular person conferences in addition to figuring out on the crew’s AdventHealth Coaching Middle. At age 31, crew sources inform me he’s simply electing to avoid wasting his physique for the obligatory mini-camp and coaching camp, fairly than getting some put on and tear from the voluntary on-field reps throughout OTAs.
“He’s been great in the classroom,” Bowles stated. “He works out. He’s in the weight room and everything else. He’s doing very good there, so get him back out on the field will be a bonus. We just have to be careful next week and not give him too many reps.”
Muhammad, who was signed to a one-year, $4 million contract, which is $10 million lower than Reddick made in 2025, is anticipated to totally take part within the obligatory mini-camp.
Additionally returning to motion subsequent week will probably be 31-year outdated nostril sort out Vita Vea, who has been figuring out within the northwest once more with former Bucs defensive sort out Ndamukong Suh for the third straight offseason. The 6-foot-4, 347-pound Vea has reported to obligatory mini-camp in the perfect form of his profession on account of these exercises.
“Suh has done a great job with him,” Bowles stated.
Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
As a consequence of accidents alongside the defensive position, Vea needed to play extra snaps final yr than he ever had earlier than. And even on the age of 30, Vea managed to play in all 17 video games for the primary time in his profession, ending with 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a fumble restoration. Being in unbelievable form definitely helped Vea’s well being and availability final season.
“I thought he had a heck of a year,” Bowles stated. “He played more snaps than he ever played. He’s been taking up one or two blocks since he’s been here. He single-handedly takes care of some of the run game for us regardless of who was injured. There were a lot of guys out last year. Vita’s a critical piece to our defense.”
FAB 5. SR’s Buc Pictures
• The Bucs have spent much more time on particular groups intervals this yr than in years previous. It looks as if with former particular groups coordinators Keith Armstrong and Thomas McGaughey that particular groups was extra of an afterthought in Tampa Bay. However with poor particular groups play actually contributing to losses towards Philadelphia and Buffalo particularly, there was a renewed emphasis on particular groups with the arrival of latest coordinator Danny Smith.
It looks as if the particular groups follow intervals are longer and the tempo is increased, leading to extra reps for the completely different phases of particular groups. And there are some noticeable areas of emphasis, corresponding to extra punt and subject aim blocking periods. Smith additionally focuses on the little particulars like having all the defensive linemen maintain padded blocking shields above their heads to assist Chase McLaughlin keep away from decrease trajectories on his subject targets.
• Necessary mini-camp is simply an extension of OTAs. There’s nonetheless no contact allowed, and the gamers will probably be in jerseys, shorts and helmets as soon as once more. However it will likely be the practices earlier than coaching camp, and three extra days of particular person drills to sharpen abilities in addition to offensive and defensive play set up. Right here’s what head coach Todd Bowles has stated in regards to the upcoming mini-camp.
“The continuation of everybody getting the system down and all the little things again,” Bowles stated. “The execution part comes when pads come on. The preparation part comes now.”
• For extra Bucs OTA observations from Thursday’s open follow, be sure you watch the most recent episode of the Pewter Report Podcast on PewterReportTV, our YouTube channel. Click on the video beneath for that episode.
