Bucs Rookie Mini-Camp 2026 Day 2 Notes
May 9th, 2026
Bucs UDFA QB Jalon Daniels.
For quite a few of the players who were on the Bucs practice fields behind One Buc Palace today, it will be their final time wearing shoulder pads and a football helmet for a purpose.
Day 2 of Bucs minicamp came to an end today and so too did the football-playing days of several guys with the Bucs.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles said he wanted to see improvement in players on the second day. Learn from mistakes and not repeat them. Joe saw that with at least two players.
And remember boys and girls, this is underwear football. No pads. Hitting is strictly forbidden.
* Bowles noted yesterday several players (including third-round pick receiver Ted Hurst) struggled with the Florida weather. That should not have been a problem today. At times, it was pleasant. There was a constant strong breeze and for roughly the second half of practice, the skies were overcast. Then again, Joe is a beer-drinking Floridian who craves warm if not hot weather, so what Joe considers comfortable, others from north of the Mason-Dixon Line may think is sweltering.
* When the Bucs hired veteran special teams coach Danny Smith, 72, to fix the horrific Bucs special teams, many in the NFL, including the Bucs, were quick to point out how intense Smith is. This was not false advertising. Both yesterday and today, during special teams periods to begin practice, Smith was non-stop chirping. Non-stop. Periodically, he’d drop an f-bomb for effect, but man, the passion this guy has is both impressive to Joe and envious. If any of us make it to 72 and have the passion that Smith has for his job, we will all have had a good life.
* Joe noticed something in Smith’s special teams drills Joe has never noticed before. It was scoop-and-score drills. For place-kicking defense. A Bucs staffer would hold a ball out maybe three feet above the ground and each player had to race in from either the left or right side, swat the ball away, and scoop and score. That was a first for Joe, but Joe loved the attention to detail by the high-energy Smith.
* Once again, UDFA quarterback Jalon Daniels (Kansas) got by far most of the snaps today. In fact, during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, Joe did not notice another quarterback throwing a pass outside of maybe one (for most of the offense vs. defense passing drills, Joe’s line of view was heavily screened).
* Caution: Since Daniels threw every pass in Joe’s notes, there is no need for Joe to repetitively type his name. So when Joe references a pass in the following notes, just know Daniels threw the ball.
11-on-11
* Tight ends got a lot of targets today, which is interesting to Joe. That means either new Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is going to throw to Cade Otton a bunch this year, or the Bucs saw something in the tight ends yesterday that they wanted to see what the tight ends can do with more targets.
* Offense vs. defense drills began with 11-on-11s. On the first play, Ted Hurst caught a pass on the left sideline for minimal gain.
* Bauer Sharp (LSU) and Daniels cannot quite connect on a pass to the left sideline.
* The one play Joe noticed (again, Joe was heavily screened) when Daniels was not on the field, Chandler Morris (Virginia) botched the snap. It appeared the defense recovered (at least Joe saw defensive linemen pointing the opposite way).
* Rashad Amos (Georgia State) runs to the left for a nice gain.
* Hurst catches a pretty pass that hits him in the hands to the right sideline.
* Daniels is significantly more accurate than the guy who threw most of the passes in last year’s rookie minicamp. And yes, Joe knows exactly who that was and what he’s doing (for the time being) now.
* Daniels throws a deep pass to the left that fell incomplete. Joe couldn’t tell who the target was.
* Kadarius Calloway (New Mexico State) had a big run to the left.
7-on-7
* Sharp catches a pass over the middle. Sharp seems to be much more agile than any of the Bucs tight ends on the 53-man roster other than Devin Culp.
* Hurst catches a pass along the left sideline.
* Sharp ran a crossing pattern from his left and when he got to about the right hashmarks, he caught in stride a sweet pass from Daniels with his outstretched hands. Very smooth pitch and catch.
* Noah Short (Army) catches a pass over the middle in a crowd. Joe won’t use a foxhole reference here.
* Tight end Finn Hogan (Bowling Green) catches a short pass just off the grass to the right.
* Sharp catches a pass along the left sideline.
* Tight end Ademola Faleye (Washington State) catches a pass down the left seam for about 15 yards.
* Garrett Greene (West Virginia) — remember him? — couldn’t haul in a deep pass in the end zone. Ball was out of reach.
* Keontez Lewis (Oklahoma) goes high to catch a pass along the left sideline.
* Daniels targets Junior Vandeross (Toledo) near the left sideline and the pass was broken up by Jackson Zimmerman (Colorado School of Mines).
* Anthony Frias (UCLA) runs up the middle.
* Calloway runs to the right.
* Frias runs to the right.
* Vandeross hauls in a pass over the middle.
* Tight end Kenny Fletcher (Rutgers) catches a pass to the right.
* Daniels tries for Dean Patterson (Georgia Tech) down the left sideline at the goal line. But Patterson was double-teamed and he couldn’t hang onto the ball.
* Patterson was targeted again and this time he caught the ball on the left side.
* Daniels is flushed out of the pocket to the right, looks downfield, but takes the checkdown and rifles the ball to the right sideline for Hogan for maybe a three-yard gain. Good awareness. Good discipline looking downfield. Good decision to live for another down. And when Daniels made the decision to use the checkdown, he wasted no time breaking out his fastball to get rid of the ball and potentially avoid getting hit or sacked (if this were a live game)
* Joe isn’t saying Daniels is going to make the Bucs. That’s insanely premature. Hell, he wasn’t even drafted. But Daniels is such a better quarterback, both running and throwing, than what the Bucs had last year at rookie minicamp that it would not be a full-blown disaster if Daniels, as a No. 3 quarterback, was pressed into duty. Let’s just say Daniels looks every bit as good as Teddy Bridgewater did in practice last summer (or Kyle Trask for that matter).
* Daniels scrambles and runs for a huge gain up the middle and then heads left.
* On a crossing pattern with Hurst moving left to right, Daniels overthrows Hurst.
* You could just see that Hurst was running smoother routes than Friday.
* Daniels tries for Lewis down the left sideline and the pass is broken up by Caden Fordham (North Carolina State).
Bucs special teams coach Danny Smith was billed as a high-energy guy. Not sure this video is picking up his audio, but during special teams drills he is non-stop chirping. I mean non-stop. And this guy is 72! pic.twitter.com/f1x17ymrnv
— JoeBucsFan (@JoeBucsFan) May 9, 2026
May 9th, 2026 at 4:22 pm
Any feel for how Quincy Ivory performed? SWAC DPOTY from Jackson State University? I believe he was 93 or 91 D-End
May 9th, 2026 at 4:28 pm
I hope Daniels makes the 53, I like him.
May 9th, 2026 at 4:35 pm
Didn’t notice him but Joe has to follow the ball for these notes. No video to rewind to watch specific defenders. Besides, underwear football is mostly for skill position players. (No pads, no hitting.)
May 9th, 2026 at 4:50 pm
Special teams is going to account for at least one extra win this season.
May 9th, 2026 at 5:02 pm
Special teams has been soo bad for a number of years now. Last year I hope they peaked . Smith sure sounds like he is not going to let the Bucs special teams to be a poor reflection on the team anymore. The secondary may be awful but not special teams . That is progress
May 9th, 2026 at 5:30 pm
👆👍👆👍👆👍👆👍👆👍👆👍
May 9th, 2026 at 6:08 pm
The bar for the backup QB spot is low.. Browning is an undrafted guy too. Some big names like Greg Cosell and Matt Cassell said good things about Daniels from the videos I’ve seen. Hoping he turns out be a valuable part of the team.
May 9th, 2026 at 6:16 pm
With Smith coaching, and Licht bringing in some special teams players, I feel very good about the special teams.
Since Smith was with Mike Tomlin so long, he should share some of Tomlin’s defensive and offensive drills.
May 9th, 2026 at 6:18 pm
It seems like the offense was dominating the passing game with only a couple of good defensive plays. No mention of Trotter defending a pass, so maybe he’s struggling Joe?
May 9th, 2026 at 6:27 pm
Sounds like coach Smith will not accept mediocrity! What a difference from last season.
May 9th, 2026 at 6:29 pm
Appreciate the note, Joe!
May 9th, 2026 at 6:39 pm
JimBobBuc Says:
May 9th, 2026 at 6:18 pm
It seems like the offense was dominating the passing game with only a couple of good defensive plays. No mention of Trotter defending a pass, so maybe he’s struggling Joe?
I think most of these guys will be working at Publix or Walmart. I would not put to much stock into the 2nd practice
May 9th, 2026 at 6:46 pm
Bain had 5 sacks today! Baker threw 10 picks..
May 9th, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Joe, thank you again for the notes today
Good to read that Hurst looked like his route-running is smoothing out a bit, and that Daniels had the savvy to checkdown/throw it away when the play just didn’t develop.
May 9th, 2026 at 7:35 pm
you guys are all losers sitting online talking about rookie minicamp lol get a life, a friend a gf something, pathetic
May 9th, 2026 at 7:35 pm
Love Daniels. Darn near beat Arkansas at the liberty bowl. Coach got cute and pulled him for a trick play, but dang the kid can play
May 9th, 2026 at 7:36 pm
They might sign RB Rashad Amos, and bring him to training camp
May 9th, 2026 at 7:40 pm
Rashad Amos had a 1,000 yards season with Miami of Ohio
He transferred to Ole Miss, got buried on the bench
Then transferred to Georgia State
May 9th, 2026 at 7:44 pm
I assume Hurst was one of the two, care to share who they were? Thanks for the notes.
May 9th, 2026 at 7:44 pm
I remember when we signed Adam Humphries as a tryout player
I doubt if we find another Hump during these tryouts
But, you never know
May 9th, 2026 at 7:48 pm
@Suburbiangymrat, you are on here commenting on the comments. Sounds like you need a life as well . Go look at yourself in the mirror like a good little gym rat does.
May 9th, 2026 at 8:13 pm
SuburbianGymRat Says:
May 9th, 2026 at 7:35 pm
you guys are all losers sitting online talking about rookie minicamp lol get a life, a friend a gf something, pathetic
Suburban hood rat you are a moron.
May 9th, 2026 at 8:27 pm
The QB room will be interesting this year with Daniels in the mix. Looking forward to seeing them all play in the new offense.
May 9th, 2026 at 8:58 pm
Isn’t this just basically underwear football that Joe loathes so much?
I’m much less worried about future McDonalds fry cooks and furniture movers.
And way more concerned with the same person that led us to another 8-9 season, and as a result, no playoffs.
If the Glazers could go ahead and fire Bowles now, that’d be great!
May 9th, 2026 at 9:11 pm
There’s some interesting UDFA in camp
May 9th, 2026 at 9:20 pm
Football 1 Says:
May 9th, 2026 at 5:02 pm
Special teams has been soo bad for a number of years now. Last year I hope they peaked . Smith sure sounds like he is not going to let the Bucs special teams to be a poor reflection on the team anymore. The secondary may be awful but not special teams . That is progress
====================================
Bad special teams play last year that always gave opponents great field position. Simple, it was Baker’s fault. Pathetic defense playing soft zone coverage. Again, Baker’s fault. Just thought I would join Munch and his idiots club.
May 9th, 2026 at 9:26 pm
For any guy that today turned out to be the end- thanks.
Please forgive the fans mouths. Including mine. You have brought us a lot of joy. Good luck. You are special people and should do well
May 9th, 2026 at 9:46 pm
who is the QB you’re referencing, Bazelak?
May 9th, 2026 at 9:46 pm
Sounds like Daniels is doing pretty well. The fact he can scramble could be useful for mimicking other mobile QBs in defensive practice drills. Interesting to hear about Danny Smith and special teams scope and score drill.
May 9th, 2026 at 10:35 pm
Licht went into the season the last 2 years with his coaches and he is once again on vacation and not making the team better after the draft . Quit giving Jason a pass !!
May 9th, 2026 at 10:46 pm
I thought this was a rookie camp – why was Greene out there with them?
Poor Greene, he moved from QB to WR and I thought looked great in the preseason, looks like a natural returner, but with the Bucs depth chart I’m not sure he’ll ever get a chance to play, and with so little tape I doubt anyone else will give him a shot either. Not saying it’s a huge loss or anything, but it’s intriguing when a guy picks up the position so quickly – you wonder how they might do with more snaps.
May 9th, 2026 at 10:53 pm
Jason Says:
May 9th, 2026 at 9:46 pm
who is the QB you’re referencing, Bazelak?
———-
I assume it’s Ballsack. If you go and watch his college tape, he was flat out terrible – no idea how he got an NFL invite. All the notes I remember last camp was about how bad he looked, and then in games he looked pretty awful as well. He did figure out how to throw one pass, that he went back to over and over again, it was like an 8 yard pass along the right hashmark. I’m sure he made some other throws, but I just remember them throwing that same pass like 5 times in a row or something, and everything else he was wild on.
Anywho, from what I’ve seen of Daniels college tape, and of Ballsack, I’ll take Daniels 100 out of 100 times. Again, I have no idea how Ballsack even got an invite. The Bucs often like to invite these QBs who will never have a chance in the NFL, guys like the GOAT farmer from Hard Knocks for example, that guy had a worse arm than Teddy Bridgewater had last year.
May 9th, 2026 at 11:05 pm
Thank you Joes for putting in the work
May 9th, 2026 at 11:09 pm
Teams will give invites as a tryout to some NFL veterans. Can’t remember the guy’s name but the Bucs years ago had a Penn State corner in rookie minicamp who had played much of his rookie year with the Belicheats.
May 9th, 2026 at 11:22 pm
Thanks, Joe!
Couple thing:
🏈 Smith seems like the Monty Kiffin of Special Teams. Shame he’s so old 🙁
🏈 Have you happened to notice anything from Scott?
May 9th, 2026 at 11:42 pm
I don’t hink all the QBs except Baker are competing for the #2 and #3 spot.
I do not think Jake Browning is a lock for the #2 spot. He is no better than Bridgewater. Peole mention what he’s getting paid. 1.3m is not a lot of money. I remember years ago, backups were getting $5m per year.
Connor Bazelak is making $1m. He has no NFL playing experience, so he’s no lock either.
So if Daniels continues to do well…he might earn that #2 spot.
And btw, he got a 3 year deal from the Bucs. None of the others got more than a year.
He will obviously make the final roster
May 9th, 2026 at 11:43 pm
“I don’t hink all the QBs except Baker are competing for the #2 and #3 spot”
I meant: “I think all the QBs except Baker are competing for the #2 and #3 spot”
May 10th, 2026 at 12:10 am
SuburbianGymRat Says:
“you guys are all losers sitting online talking about rookie minicamp lol get a life, a friend a gf something, pathetic”
I challenge you to have a life like I’ve led.
World Music Tour in the early 90s.
I was there when the leader of Russia was kidnapped in 1990 as well… literally in country.
Was management in a major corporation.
Ministered Globally for 3 months.
Ministered in Florida.
Owned my own Internet, Multimedia, and Print company with over 40 clients for ten years
Married for 32 years…still going.
Published 4 fiction novels. Working on another.
Produced entertainment men videos for 5 years…nearly 400 episodes. Multiple shows.
Retired, and am still staying very busy on various projects.
I lived to witness this team win 2 superbowls. And yes, I teared up on the first one.
I am more busy in retirement than I was when I was in the workforce.
And here’s the thing: you come here and troll…and I’m willing to bet more than a few here have either lived great lives or are in the process.
While you, my friend, get your thrills by anonymously trying to stir up trouble on the Internet…and because you are too cowardly to use your real name, you don’t even get credit for it.
Who needs a life now?
May 10th, 2026 at 12:12 am
“Produced entertainment men videos”
Meant “Produced entertainment videos”, not p@rn, lol
May 10th, 2026 at 2:24 am
Has a cool cast on his left hand.
May 10th, 2026 at 5:52 am
Im surprised Jalon wasnt drafted….thats a sneaky good signing by Jason.
May 10th, 2026 at 7:30 am
Buccaneer Bonzai
That is living life my friend . I was in a band in the later part of the 80s early 90s that toured with Great white, Tesla, Mr Big so I got to experience a lot.
We have a few trolls that can’t help themselves like 3.28 Evans the guy assumes my screen name means I’m fat and a drunk.. lol that guy is as miserable as they come. . Anyway Bonzai keep enjoying retirement. I do enjoy reading your posts.
May 10th, 2026 at 7:32 am
Just how accurate do Daniels’ throws really look Joe? NFL caliber or close?
May 10th, 2026 at 9:12 am
Joe Says: Daniels threw every pass in Joe’s notes, there is no need for Joe to repetitively type his name.
Joe Does: Repeat his name 13 times.
May 10th, 2026 at 9:21 am
“He has a cool cast on his left hand.”……..Lmao! I can always count on your wit Joe! Well played fine sir!
May 10th, 2026 at 9:46 am
@buccaneer bonzai
You sound like a cool dude!
I cried too when I saw Brooks crying.
And thanks for sharing your accomplishments and life story.
Cool stuff!
And for surbabiangymrat
I graduated from Auburn in 2006 with a degree in Anthropology. I have a Masters in Education from USF which I earned in 2015. I am currently working on my PhD in International Education.
I was intramural soccer champion senior year at Auburn.
I’ve spent the last 20 years teaching English all over the world.
I’ve been a teacher in 9 countries on 5 continents. I’ve seen 33 countries so far with my own eyes. I’ve been to the Pyramids, Machu Pichu, the Taj Mahal, The Parthenon, Baalbek, and Knossos (Crete) and more! (I Love archeology)
I speak 6 languages. 4 fluently.
I am 43 years old with an 8 pack.
I have been a university professor for the last 10 years.
So. There you go.
I’ve lived the coolest life ever.
And I’m still rocking!
May 10th, 2026 at 10:02 am
Teacherman
Awesome stuff ! Some of these trolls should think before they speak. Lol
May 10th, 2026 at 10:42 am
Fat drunk and 99 is no way to go through life and everything you read on the internet is true .
May 10th, 2026 at 11:20 am
@teachermann⬆️ Dude seems like an incredible life but if you list winning an intramural soccer championship in college as accomplishment you lost all credibility. Dude, it’s a scrub activity, for scrubs, played by scrubs, against other scrubs who are usually hungover and playing so their gross sorority dates will have some type of social event to attend. Do better
May 10th, 2026 at 11:50 am
There’s a reason for that. 🙂
May 10th, 2026 at 11:51 am
3.28.Evans you truly are a turd. I love living rent free in your head..ask your girl
May 10th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Daniels is a keeper.
Possibly our QB of the Future.
May 10th, 2026 at 1:18 pm
Some, yes. Some, not so much. There’s a reason he was not drafted.
He’s worlds better than the guy the Bucs had in rookie minicamp last year and who somehow stuck around. Joe’s not calling him out because it’s weak to destroy a No. 3 QB who was undrafted, but he was bad.
In rookie minicamp, if a guy keeps getting snaps, that’s a tell. If a QB in rookie minicamp gets almost all the snaps, its either because the coaches see something in him or the other guys are so brutal they cannot be trusted to even practice.
Daniels just looks smooth. Think there is a foundation to work with. At least he’s got a good coach to work with, Chandler Whitmer.
May 10th, 2026 at 2:15 pm
Ahhh, there are plenty of other options out there for these guys to continue on with playing professional football, if they really want to keep the dream alive. CFL, Arena, XFL, and so on.
May 10th, 2026 at 3:14 pm
@ Buccaneer Bonzai Says: “Published 4 fiction novels. Working on another.
Produced entertainment men videos for 5 years…nearly 400 episodes. Multiple shows.”
LoL Now, your comments are making a lot more sense… Hahahah.
@ “SuburbianGymRat” – There seriously could not be a bigger douche screen name. I’m sure it fits. Complete with the tiny little prick and all. Guaranteed. And, they are NOT laughing along with you, dude. They are laughing AT YOU (though, it’s usually behind your back).
May 10th, 2026 at 8:40 pm
We’ve got better depth than last year, I think. But to truly be the team we want to be, we need a better backup QB, too. We sure have the perfect coaches to make that happen. God forbid we lose our QB in a tight race but shlt does happen. If this Kansas kid is any good, and I believe he is, we have the staff to get it out of him. And they’ll make Browning and Ballsack( munches nickname- not bad) better QBs, too.
May 10th, 2026 at 9:57 pm
FatSlob99 with the 8th grade stuff. How about “I know you are but what am I?”
The more 13yo schtick the better. The inspiration to tell the truth about Todd is only enhanced and it’s kind of cute when a blob acts indignant.