Bucs Training Camp, Day 16 Practice Notes
August 20th, 2025
Big play in practice Tuesday.
It’s technically not training camp. There are no fans at One Buc Palace. The bleachers have been removed, packed up and stored until next summer.
Last week Joe suspected the joint practice with the Steelers in Pittsburgh was going to be the final open practice for the year.
Ah, but the Bucs are throwing the local pen and mic club a few extra bones. It appears this week’s practices, all three of them, are still fully open for the fourth estate. So, as long as Joe is there and can watch, why not have some practice notes?
Here are a few highlights from Tuesday’s practice:
* Bucky Irving up the gut.
* Kaevon Merriweather got a pass breakup when Baker Mayfield tried to connect with Cade Otton near the right sideline.
* Bucky takes a pitch from Baker Mayfield and runs left.
* Otton catches a short pass from Mayfield to the right.
* Tez Johnson catches a pass from Mayfield on a crossing pattern.
* Sterling Shepard catches a short pass from his old college bro, Mayfield, to the left side.
* Sean Tucker dips and ducks his way up the middle.
* Jose Ramirez had Bucky for a two-yard loss but the little duck squirms free and gets positive yards to the right.
* Kyle Trask aims for Kameron Johnson but the pass was broken up. Joe couldn’t see who the defender was through the wall of coaches, staffers and players who enjoy standing in front of reporters at practices.
* Owen Wright with a big gain down the middle.
* Jase McClellan with a nice run to the right.
* Teddy Bridgewater rolls left and hits Garrett Greene along the left sideline.
* Bucky runs off left tackle.
* Mayfield tries to link up with Mike Evans to the left but the pass was short.
* Bridgewater sidearms a pass over the middle to Ryan Miller.
* Rachaad White runs up the middle.
* Bridgewater connects with Tanner Taula to the right side.
* Mayfield throws for Mike Evans on a medium route to the right but the ball falls to the ground.
* Mayfield to Emeka Egbuka on a crossing pattern.
* White runs to the right.
* Mayfield connects with Tez Johnson over the middle. Nice job of Mayfield to get rid of the ball as Zyon McCollum raced in from the offensive left side on a blitz and would have buried Mayfield if he did not throw it.
* Rare: Egbuka drops a Mayfield pass over the middle.
* Bucky up the middle.
* Trask tries for a bomb to Tez Johnson down the left sideline and the pass is too long.
* Trask hooks up with Rakim Jarrett down the left sideline.
* Bridgewater to Kameron Johnson down the left sideline.
* Bridgewater to Taula over the middle.
* Mayfield to Otton on the right side.
* Egbuka skies on the right side to haul in a Mayfield pass. Like picking oranges off a tree, man.
* Mayfield tries for Jaden Smith in the end zone at the far left corner. Not enough mustard on that pitch and Jacob Parrish goes low to defend the pass. Parrish nearly had a pick.
* Trask to Tez Johnson over the middle.
* Bucky runs up the middle.
* Mayfield rolls right and dumps it to Sterling Shepard to the right with a short pass.
* Mayfield to Tez Johnson on a crossing pattern.
* Trask throws to Trey Palmer along the left sideline. Palmer bobbled the ball just enough so Bryce Hall could recover, race in and knock the ball away from Palmer.
* Trask connects with Devin Culp to the right.
* Mayfield throws over the middle for Taula, who is immediately met by defenders.
* Trask throws low to Garrett Greene to the right side.
* Is Culp hurt? Joe isn’t sure if Culp is just exhausted from the heat or if he has cramps. Or worse. He walked off the practice field to the sideline and then a trainer took his helmet and walked alongside Culp. They looked like they were heading inside One Buc Palace when Culp found some shade and plops down on his back in the shade. After a few minutes, it looked like the trainer began working on either Culp’s left ankle or lower left leg.
* Awesome pick by Lavonte David! There was a pack of coaches, suits and players standing between Joe and the field (think of trying to look through a picket fence only the pickets have maybe six inches between them and are as wide as a guard) and at first Joe thought it was a cornerback who skied really high and grabbed the ball with one hand in the far right corner of the end zone. Then Joe saw David returning the pick. Joe couldn’t catch who threw the ball for the aforementioned reason.
* Bad snap but somehow Trask gets control of the ball and quickly puts it in the hands of Josh Williams.
* Mayfield tries for Shepard in the right corner of the end zone and Jacob Parrish breaks it up.
August 20th, 2025 at 1:06 am
Awesome! An unexpected bonus – thanks as always Joe for posting these. Even if it is your job, it’s appreciated.
August 20th, 2025 at 1:08 am
Jacob Parrish is going to be an excellent player, he is going after it every day, what a great pickup. Reminds me of Tykee Smith last year.
August 20th, 2025 at 1:29 am
TYVM!
August 20th, 2025 at 5:20 am
Culp exhausted by the heat. So dumb continuing practicing outside when our first two games are on the road indoors! I guess Bowles isn’t satisfied with all the mounting injuries, and wants to make sure his players pull more hammys, get more IVs, and are completely drained to start the season. Whenever I see UCF practicing on the news they’re inside. If only the Bucs had a nice indoor shed to practice in. Joe, ask why they don’t get inside considering their first 2 games are. Also will Teddy get the start this week?
August 20th, 2025 at 5:28 am
Thank you, Joe.
Nice to see several notes about our defenders breaking up plays… the pass plays especially.
I’m curious as to how much yardage we’re getting when we run it up the middle? I still have flashbacks to our 2023 season and the fixation with starting every offensive series with a run up the middle for no yardage, lol.
I’m hoping Devin Culp is ok. He flashed in his limited opportunities last year, but I haven’t seen his name too much in your notes this year. It has me wondering if he’ll make the 53.
It’s good to see Cade and Rachaad both making the practice notes. I know there’s speculation about whether we’ll be able to keep them both next year (or whether Rachaad will want to leave), but I think we need to find a way to keep both of them.
Arguably, we have the best left tackle in the NFL on our team. I see lots of notes about pass plays to the left, but very little if any about runs to the left. Just my two cents…
August 20th, 2025 at 6:03 am
Jacob Parrish is a natural. Speed, instincts, aggressiveness, fearless, field awareness, quickness, n the list goes on. We should cut ties with paying a 7 yr vet Dean top dollar while he play like a udfa. In the same series, he let a rookie catch a long pass for a big gain, got flagged, then allowed an udfa to juke him in the endzone for a td. Deans is another JTS, VHargreaves, OJ Howard, and JDarden, a dream, hope, possibility, n wanna be nothing.
August 20th, 2025 at 6:19 am
Love it Joe! LVD is the GOAT!….Except for Brooks…LOL
Joe, can you use sheet rock stilts? Just a thought….There would probably be a rule by the next morning though…Gotta be frustrating as heck!
Go Bucs!
August 20th, 2025 at 7:10 am
Culp should switch to WR
August 20th, 2025 at 7:15 am
Awesome notes, Joe! Lots of “Up the middle.” Overall, sounds pretty solid.
August 20th, 2025 at 7:47 am
Dmatt give it a rest. Dean is a good defensive back. He clearly is not elite. He clearly is not bad. Just look at his passes defended over his career. Better than average. His tackles better than average. His missed tackles percentage is better than average.
His allowed completion percentage is average.
His yards per completion is average.
His turnovers forced or recovered are way under average.
We may be paying him too much for his production, but he is clearly a solidly good defensive back.
August 20th, 2025 at 8:12 am
First Last Says:
August 20th, 2025 at 7:10 am
Culp should switch to WR
Famu_Rattler Says:
Maybe not switch but CROSS TRAINING in both WR and TE roles. Because there will be situations were he can take advantage of his size and speed. Bucs just need to be PROACTIVE, CREATIVE AND AGGRESSIVE in there planning and usage of Devin Culp. Picture this lineup ME13, EE, CO88, DC82, BI07, RW01 in the route tree. You got Bucky, Rasheed, Mike, EE, Otto, Delvin all with speed and good hands for down field receptions. Miss matches glore. Let’s Go Bucs, Go Bucs……PROACTIVE, CREATIVE AND AGGRESSIVE
August 20th, 2025 at 8:15 am
Parrish reminds me of a CB version of Winfield on the field. A little smaller for their position but fast, tough, instinctive and smart. Seems to be a similar version of hard worker as well.
August 20th, 2025 at 8:45 am
Thought about bringing a step ladder. 🙂 Photographers will do that.
But yeah, Bucs would probably shoot that idea down. ☹️
August 20th, 2025 at 8:47 am
KAB:
Parrish is sticky. Not sure Joe can compare him to Winfield. Two different types of players (in Joe’s eyes).
August 20th, 2025 at 9:21 am
Kameron Johnson sighting! Could use him, with McMillan being down, if he could stay healthy for more than 5 minutes.
August 20th, 2025 at 9:25 am
Trey “Darden” Palmer might as well get on the bus out of town now.
August 20th, 2025 at 10:33 am
Hodad Says:
So dumb continuing practicing outside when our first two games are indoors!
^^^^^^^
Drives me nuts! Dehydration contributes to all sorts of issues (like hammies). Heat exaustion can become bad news.
Go indoors: Better Reps, Better Health, Better Team.
August 20th, 2025 at 10:07 pm
I didn’t see any notes on Connor Bazelak. I really hope they give them a chance and at least keep them on the practice squad. He deserves it. Conner is He was
20-27
154 yds
In his 2 games
Give a get a chance. Instead they bring in Teddy Bridgewater the last second who was done in the NFL.
August 20th, 2025 at 11:17 pm
A week from Saturday he will be packing his belongings.