Bucs Camp Insider 8-10: WRs Dominate Dolphins DBs, Injuries Pile Up

On a hot Wednesday with just the slightest of breezes, the Bucs welcomed the Miami Dolphins to the AdventHealth Training Center for the first of two joint practices this week. The intensity levels elevated – as expected – and there are plenty of talking points coming out of day one.

Only A Few Bucs Missing From Practice

There weren’t a lot of players missing from Wednesday’s practice. Cameron Brate had the day off again, while Breshad Perriman and Mike Evans remained sidelined with their injuries. Other than that, it was a full go for Tampa Bay with Miami in town. Even Ryan Jensen, who injured his knee in practice two weeks ago, was out to watch practice on a golf cart. He wore a knee brace, but didn’t appear to have crutches with him.

Injury Scares Overshadow The Day

Bucs WR Russell Gage – Photo by: Scott Reynolds/PR

There were a couple of injury scares for the Bucs on Wednesday. The first came during 1-on-1s between their receivers and Miami’s cornerbacks. Russell Gage burst off the line on a route before quickly pulling up and grabbing his leg. It looked like he was favoring his hamstring as he walked off the field, and he didn’t return. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles didn’t have an immediate update on Gage after practice.

Late in practice, Tampa Bay had another scare, with second-year center Robert Hainsey leaving on a cart. It wasn’t clear at the time what happened, and Bowles didn’t have an update in his post-practice press conference. However, the Bucs have avoided another crisis at the center position, as Hainsey was simply dealing with some cramps. It goes without saying how big of a relief that is for Tampa Bay’s offense, given that he is the guy already replacing its injured Pro Bowl center. It was a shame, though, as Hainsey was having himself a strong practice before leaving at the very end.

Bucs Receivers Put On A Show In 1-on-1s

After some separate stretching and walk-throughs early in practice, the Bucs and Dolphins came together for some 1-on-1 drills. Tampa Bay’s receivers stole the show, dominating the Miami cornerbacks right out of the gate. Julio Jones put together a couple of great reps against Xavien Howard, with the second going for a touchdown. Jaelon Darden rivaled Jones for the day’s MVP, thanks to his outstanding showing against Miami’s Noah Igbinoghene, a first-round pick in 2020. Darden beat him three times during 1-on-1s, once blowing right by him down the sideline before making a great move on him during a later rep.

Later in practice, the Tampa Bay offense worked its way down the field against Miami’s defense in a two-minute drill. As good as he was during 1-on-1s, Darden had one of his best reps of the day in that hurry-up period. He put a fantastic move on Xavien Howard and took off down the sideline, getting wide open on the play. Tom Brady didn’t look his way, though, instead opting to hit Deven Thompkins for a nice gain to set up a field goal try. Darden’s impressive camp reached another level when another team entered the mix, which is a good sign after his struggles last year. He’s on the right track to earning one of the remaining receiver spots on the Bucs’ final 53-man roster.

Thompkins and Scotty Miller both shined during the 1-on-1 period as well, with Thompkins beating Keion Crossen and making a high-point catch before Miller blew by another Miami corner for a big gain down the sideline. Rookies Jerreth Sterns and Cade Otton got in on the fun during a 7-on-7 drill, with Sterns making a jumping catch from Blaine Gabbert and Otton stretching out to make a diving catch on a pass from Brady.

Things Get Chippy Between Bucs’ Offense, Dolphins’ Defense

Joint practices breed intensity and conflict, and there was plenty of both on Wednesday. There weren’t any major scuffles between the Bucs and Dolphins, though things got heated when Tampa Bay’s offense and Miami’s defense squared off. Wide receiver Tyler Johnson was in the center of it, exchanging pleasantries with a number of Dolphins defenders.

Things reached a peak late in practice during an 11-on-11 period. Brandon Jones laid a hit on Scotty Miller during a two-minute drill, which Johnson didn’t appreciate. He quickly jumped in and did some pushing before things got separated. A few plays later, Johnson was on the receiving end of a hard hit. That set him off again, and Tom Brady didn’t appreciate it either, throwing some shouts at the Miami defense. Johnson walked off slowly before yelling something and slamming his helmet to the ground. He’s worth keeping an eye on during Thursday’s joint practice, as there’s sure to be more heated battles between the two teams.

Takeaways For The Bucs In 7-on-7s

On the defensive side of things, the Bucs’ unit held firm against the Dolphins’ starters and backups. Carlton Davis III set the tone early by breaking up a pass while covering Tyreek Hill. Later on, Davis intercepted a pass from Teddy Bridgewater as he was looking to hit a receiver by the numbers about 10-15 yards down the left side of the field.

Bucs Ss Logan Ryan and Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Another star player showed up big in the drill, and that was Antoine Winfield Jr. The third-year safety aggressively broke up a pass from Tua Tagovailoa over the middle of the field. Devin White later came up with an interception on a pass tipped by Mike Edwards. As a unit, the defense did a great job of limiting Tagovailoa to short, underneath completions. There was one instance in which the Bucs had a mixture of starters and backups on the field where the coverage was so good that Tagovailoa just had to hold onto the ball, forcing a whistle to end the play.

Zyon McCollum had some growing pains going up against talented receiver Jaylen Waddle in practice. Waddle beat him on a crossing route where he was about four to five steps ahead of him.

Borregales’ Turn To Kick – And With Added Pressure

Jose Borregales got the kicking period on Wednesday, facing little-to-no rush from Miami’s field goal unit. He finished the period 6-for-7, missing wide left on one kick. The former Lou Groza Award winner later nailed a pressure field goal after the Buccaneer offense set him up for a field goal during a two-minute drill.

Tampa Bay and Miami return to the practice fields on Thursday morning before squaring off in their preseason opener on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.

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