Bucs Camp Insider 8-3: Another Injury, Team Ends Week Strong

The Bucs got back to work Saturday morning at the AdventHealth Training Center with kickoff of their preseason opener just seven days away. The team was in shorts and helmets for its ninth practice of training camp, working through a lighter day after four practices in pads this week.

Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said they will have a walkthrough Sunday before Monday’s off day. That was already planned with the schedule ahead of camp, but it coincidentally works out well given the weather forecasts over the weekend in Tampa.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds and Bailey Adams were in attendance for Saturday’s practice. Here are their observations:

Another Key Bucs Defender Suffers An Injury

Just four days after left guard candidate Sua Opeta suffered a season-ending ACL injury and starting safety Jordan Whitehead picked up a quad injury, and only two days after starting outside linebacker Yaya Diaby suffered a high ankle sprain that will keep him out of the preseason, the Bucs saw another key player leave practice with an injury.

About 30 minutes into Saturday’s practice, third-round defensive back Tykee Smith walked off the field with a trainer and did not return, with Pewter Report learning that he has a mild ankle sprain.

#Bucs rookie DB Tykee Smith has not returned to practice after spraining an ankle during individual drills. He got his ankle taped up, but he’s done for the day.

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) August 3, 2024

Todd Bowles confirmed after practice that Smith “tweaked his ankle a little bit.” That certainly sounds like a manageable injury for the rookie and not one to be overly concerned about, but it simply added another banged-up Buc to the list from this week. And while it may not be overly serious, a sprained ankle could still put Smith’s status for next Saturday’s preseason opener in doubt.

We’ll know more next week, and the walkthrough Sunday and day off Monday come at a good time for the former Georgia standout who has quickly emerged as the likely starter at nickelback on the Bucs defense.

Bucs Who Were Not Practicing

The same group of injured Bucs missed out on Saturday’s practice, with Kameron Johnson, Chase Edmonds, Shaun Peterson Jr., Jordan Whitehead and SirVocea Dennis all watching on from the sidelines. There was a new non-participant, though, and that was fourth-year outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.

Joe-Tryon Shoyinka and Kameron Johnson (rib) are among those who are not practicing today. Chase Edmonds remains out as well. pic.twitter.com/ZLy2EepXta

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) August 3, 2024

With Tryon-Shoyinka out and Yaya Diaby healing up for Week 1, rookie Chris Braswell got increased reps on Saturday, starting at outside linebacker with veteran Anthony Nelson.

Bucs Finish Off A Strong Week, Once Again Avoiding A Sloppy Practice

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Without the pads on, it was a lighter practice for the Bucs on Saturday. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t get some valuable work in. The team had a pretty crisp practice, something that has been a theme — if not a constant — throughout training camp so far. Not everything has been perfect, but Tampa Bay’s first nine practices of camp this year have felt way different than 2023, when there were plenty of sloppy practices as the team got back together with a lot of question marks.

“The penalties are a work in progress,” Todd Bowles said Saturday. “We’ve got to get that taken care of. After we’ve been in camp for a week, you’ve got to get used to your pads, you’ve got to get used to the heat, you’ve got to carry out your assignment. That’s a work in progress. I’m really pleased with the mental focus the guys have come in with. We haven’t had any sloppy days. We’ve had mental errors, but we haven’t had any sloppy days. Guys are locked in and trying to get better.”

The first week and a half of Bucs training camp has featured a lot of back and forth between the offense and defense, which has been fun to see. Even with the offense learning a new system under Liam Coen after learning and running Dave Canales’ offense last year, everything seems to be coming together quicker and contributing to a more competitive atmosphere compared to last August.

What certainly helps is that this year’s Bucs already know their identity. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is settled in and leading a group that surpassed expectations last year and feels great about its chances of taking the next step forward this year. As a result, practices have been fun — but also business-like. The mistakes are there, but things don’t seem disjointed the way they did at times last summer.

Observations And Highlights From Day 9 Of Bucs Camp

Here are some quick-hitting observations from Tampa Bay’s ninth training camp practice:

• Lavonte David and Mike Evans continued to get some extra rest during 11-on-11s, opening up some opportunities for younger guys. Vi Jones and Kalen DeLoach got extra reps at inside linebacker with the first-team defense, while Rakim Jarrett and Ryan Miller benefitted from some more snaps at wide receiver.
• Speaking of Jarrett, he had a strong practice on Saturday. It was probably his best of training camp thus far, catching a couple of passes in traffic from Baker Mayfield and later making a diving catch over the middle of the field. Todd Bowles had some praise for the second-year receiver after practice, but noted that he needs to be more consistent.
• Rookie tight end Devin Culp had another impressive practice, showcasing some of his speed and separation ability. Late in practice, he caught a ball over the middle from John Wolford and raced to the end zone for a touchdown.
• Tavierre Thomas and Christian Izien both had impressive pass breakups during the 11-on-11 period.
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  Bucs DT Logan Hall – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

  Bucs defensive tackle Logan Hall has had a really solid week of practice and he ended it on a high note. Hall has done a nice job penetrating the backfield in 11-on-11s and had some nice pass rushes in one-on-one pass rush/pass protection drills on Friday. Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles wanted to give Eric Banks a look with the starters in base defense on Saturday, so Hall was relegated to second string. But he made the play of the defense on defense, dropping into coverage across the middle and picking off backup quarterback Kyle Trask and taking the interception back for a pick-six. Once he got into the end zone, Hall punted the ball to celebrate. Even with the No. 2 defense on Saturday Hall was making the most of his opportunities.

• New outside linebacker Jay Person is easily the lightest edge rusher the Bucs have. The rookie from University of Tennessee-Chattanooga was signed on Friday to help bolster the outside linebacker room with Yaya Diaby’s injury and Randy Gregory’s absence. Person is 6-foot-2, 237 pounds and got shoved around quite a bit in his first practice in Tampa Bay. It’s obvious that his head is swimming having just arrived and not knowing the defense, but he’s incredibly light and not particularly fast around the edge. Person looks more like a camp body than an actual contender for the roster or the practice squad at this point.
• Bucs running back Rachaad White was wide open the flat in the red zone and waltzed into the end zone for an easy touchdown towards the end of practice. After he caught the scoring strike from Baker Mayfield, White got on the ground and started rowing the boat, which is the celebration the Bucs defense typically does after creating a turnover. White, who is a noted trash talker, was taunting the Tampa Bay defense. Wide receiver Trey Palmer joined in on the fun and started rowing the boat along with White.