More Tuesday, Day 5 Practice Notes
July 29th, 2025
Joe left out nuggets from yesterday’s Day 5 training camp practice notes. So Joe will call the following fresh leftovers, considering the Bucs don’t practice again until tonight — inside the Glazer Shed starting at 7 p.m.
*So rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison is an active guy. He was covering receiver Rakim Jarrett in a 1-on-1 drill and hauled in a sweet interception. Buccaneers media was all over that video, linked here. However, while Todd Bowles surely loved that, the head coach likely was a little nauseous watching Morrison drop two interceptions — one in drills and one in 11-on-11 work.
*Joe’s drop watch also counted one for Jalen McMillan. And while Joe already noted a catchable ball not hauled in by Payne Durham, Joe is somewhat confident video replay would show a pass breakup by Jamel Dean or at least good coverage.
*In drills, receiver Sterling Shepard blatantly was interfered with on a route and demanded a do-over. Shepard really pushed it with coaches and even lined up for a re-do but didn’t get it. (Mike Evans would have.) Shepard is having a good camp, steadily getting open.
*Undrafted rookie center Jake Majors out of the University of Texas is getting significant work as the No. 2 center.
*Bubble inside linebackers Nick Jackson and John Bullock are fast blitzers. The undrafted rookies play with a lot of confidence.
*Interesting simulation: The Bucs had a walk-through style session practicing setting up for a hurry-up field goal. So after these short passes in a walk-through style, Chase McLaughlin and friends sprinted onto the field and rushed a 50-yard field goal. The kick was good.
*Man, rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka shed cornerback Bryce Hall easily on short-medium route.
*Defensive lineman Eric Banks is getting a lot of snaps with the reserve units. The sixth-year man has bounced around teams and only has played in six NFL games.
July 29th, 2025 at 10:23 am
Was thinking yesterday Shepherd’s name keeps coming up. He will make the active roster I do believe. BTW if Shepherd would of ran the play against the Commanders instead of rookie McMillan the Bucs would of won that game.
July 29th, 2025 at 10:40 am
How novel for the Bucs to work out the rookie center at his actual college position.
July 29th, 2025 at 10:44 am
About time they give the players some inside time. After all our first two games are indoors, and half our home games are in the back half of the season when playing in the heat won’t be an advantage anyway. He didn’t know when to come in from the cold is an old saying. Bucs need to come in from the heat more often.
July 29th, 2025 at 10:46 am
I have to agree with BakerFan, it was a mistake having McMillan run that. Anyone but him, even Kam Johnson executed that play better throughout the season lol. Sad
July 29th, 2025 at 11:08 am
At last some fans are posting about THE play of the year. It wasn’t Baker’s fault. All he had to do is receive the ball and turn around and hand it off. He did. The timing was off. Not Baker’s fault.
July 29th, 2025 at 11:38 am
@BakerFan @First Last
Great points, I also think that if we had beaten the Redskins, we would’ve played the Eagles in the NFC Championship. Going further, if we beat the Eagles, I think we would’ve playing in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs.
Highlighting one play in a game and saying that was the cause of the loss is crazy to me. First, I’m not defending the play, it was bad and shouldn’t have happened but come on. What if we had stopped them ONCE more and got a punt during that game. The result is different.
JMAC had an unbelievable end to the season and that play (hopefully) puts a chip on his shoulder to play even better, and I almost guarantee he thinks about that missed opportunity and does his best to ensure that never happens again.
Now, last season is last season, these boys can win a Super Bowl THIS YEAR. JMAC has that next level and I can’t wait to see him make that mistake one that we never think about again.
July 29th, 2025 at 11:40 am
Also, nice to see Bullock getting mentioned by name, I wonder how his college teammate Nash Hutmacher is doing, with big boy Watson sidelined, has he seen many reps? I like the Polar Bear, I think he can learn from Vita and be another force on that interior.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
I like both of the Bucs rookie ILBs as depth pieces … they started and played a ton of football in the Big Ten. Jackson is great going downhill, more limited in space. Bullock will surprise in the pre-season. He’s very athletic and has good speed. Both are Probably practice squad unless injuries occur.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:09 pm
Lots of sloppy play. It will be good to get out of the heat and hopefully refocus.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:19 pm
It’s odd to pick out a play suggesting that Sterling Shepard would have been good with that play. Sterling Shepard played over 50 percent of the snaps in that game. Guess what he did in the game.
Absolutely zero in the game. I would — like the Bucs — at least run the play to a guy that actually had touched the ball in the game.
At this point of their careers, I would take McMillan over Shepard in every instance.
For all those that so confidently, just put the play on McMillan, in the all 22, you clearly see Baker looking at McMillan and then clearly makes his back foot tap to signal to McMillan to break back to the QB.
On a Jet sweep, the QB usually has the ball snapped when the receiver gets to the offensive tackle. It is clear that the snap happened late, as McMillan was past the tackle when the ball snapped. Personally, I put less on McMillan than either Barton or Baker because it’s not like he can stop once he starts his cycle to the QB. But I could be convinced otherwise, if someone showed me that McMillan started early.
But as is a Bucs tradition, we will never know why that sequencing was off — because they (the Bucs) never formally explain it to us media and fans.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:45 pm
Joe, thanks for the camp info, appreciate your hard work in the hot sunshine. So far it sounds like the word from camp is DEPTH, all over the field. That’s a good thing. GO BUCS!!!! “Drop the sneaky “
July 29th, 2025 at 12:49 pm
I saw a clip of Vea vs Barton. Vea was furocious but Barton held up!
It was Great Play vs Great Play. No downside in that clip.
July 29th, 2025 at 12:53 pm
Morrison looks great in the video. Sorry to hear he had two drop interceptions.
July 29th, 2025 at 1:31 pm
Barton primarily played L tackle at Duke. I wonder if the emergency plan is to move him out there and put Majors at center if Heck doesn’t work out?
July 29th, 2025 at 1:49 pm
I am not too sure Shepard makes the team with the big emergence of Tez & the stellar play from Embuka shinning in camp.
The young and much cheaper guys in the log jam WR room with Palmer still developing, Rakim & K Johnson keeping a steady pace in this dog race could make a big difference.
I could see Shepard getting traded (Raiders) or not making the roster in a cost saving situation, plus he’s a hot head on the field and is one temper tantrum away from killing an important drive with his antics.
July 29th, 2025 at 2:00 pm
Irishmist. Bingo! Let’s have our five best linemen on the field. No problem, move Barton back to center when Wirfs gets back.
July 29th, 2025 at 2:04 pm
Enkd, you may be right about Shep being a close call on making the 53. Hope not. But you are wrong about everything else you’ve said about him.
July 29th, 2025 at 2:10 pm
BucsfaninOregon Says:
July 29th, 2025 at 11:08 am
At last some fans are posting about THE play of the year. It wasn’t Baker’s fault. All he had to do is receive the ball and turn around and hand it off. He did. The timing was off. Not Baker’s fault.
====================================
Of course you are right, but some of the dullards( Oneilbuc, RodMunch to name two) here who have a vested interest in running down all things Mayfield won’t be honest about McMillan overrunning the handoff. Like I said, dullards don’t want to get it. They have been negative on Mayfield for 2 years since Licht signed Baker at Todd Bowles request. A lot of their ego is invested in seeing Mayfield fail. Going to be hard for the idiots to renounce the obvious in 2025. They will try but Baker and Bucs will continue to make them look like the fools they are.
July 29th, 2025 at 2:19 pm
Baker Bowl: Nash Hutmacher sounds like a villain from Archer.
July 29th, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Teacherman suggested it weeks ago.
Barton and Mauch need snaps at LT.
They BOTH played LT in college.
LT is far more important than center or RG.
A backup LT cost the Chiefs against us.
July 29th, 2025 at 2:47 pm
@Enkd Shepard has no trade value because he’s made it clear Baker was the only one he would suit up for again. My bet is he makes the team because he’s a vet that did make some key plays when needed or he does like last year and is called up. Godwin could very well not be coming back perhaps until the second half of the season, and Mike is getting up there in age.
Wouldn’t be strange during this season to go from surplus at WR to deficit for a part of this run.
July 29th, 2025 at 3:15 pm
Loved that clip of Morrison getting the pick! Sticky, head around, excellent 👍🏼 but who was the receiver?
Good to hear Shep is still in the mix.
July 29th, 2025 at 8:11 pm
Bet here is that Shepard does NOT make the final-53, that Godwin does but is immediately placed on the in-season IR/PUP list, so that Shepard suits up and plays all season.
Bucs would go into the first game with six WR: Evans, McMillan, EE, T Johnson, Shepard and Palmer(?) or Jarrett.
July 29th, 2025 at 8:20 pm
That was a sweet interception by Morrison.
Joe, thank you for the extra practice notes!