Bucs Training Camp 2025, Day 18 Practice Notes — The Final (Open) Practice
August 21st, 2025
Yet another high-level practice.
When the Bucs next practice, they will be prepping for Atlanta and Houston — Bucs assistant general manager Rob McCartney said so in his press conference after practice Thursday.
As a result, regular-season practice media protocols will be in place, which means the fourth estate will not have access to practices other than warmups. There is very little Joe can decipher football-wise from watching dudes stretch and play hopscotch.
So this will be Joe’s final practice notes for the football calendar year 2025. And today’s practice was very abbreviated. It was almost like Bucs coach Todd Bowles could see the light at the end of the preseason tunnel and just wanted to shut things down without another injury.
Bowles also said no starter will play in the Bucs’ final worthless preseason game. So tell Joe again how important these football atrocities are?
Today’s final fully open practice was underwear football. No hitting, no pads, no real football.
* On the goal line, Teddy Bridgewater throws an incomplete pass that goes over an intended target’s head in the back of the end zone.
* Joe again has to navigate a human picket fence so it’s dicey seeing plays. For a few plays, Joe couldn’t tell who the quarterback was until Joe could see an orange jersey walk back to the huddle. Sorry for the inconvenience, folks.
* Emeka Egbuka gets behind the Bucs defense down the right sideline and it looked like Baker Mayfield was right on target and Zyon McCollum made an incredible play to knock the ball away before it dropped into Egbuka’s hands. Really strong play by McCollum.
* Mayfield to Mike Evans (this will be a recurring theme this morning) to the left sideline.
* Kyle Trask fires to Trey Palmer to the left, and Palmer gets some good YAC. That is Trask’s best pass in a couple of weeks. Pretty spiral, nice and tight, led Palmer perfectly, hitting him in the hands without Palmer breaking stride. That’s why the Bucs drafted you in the second round, Kyle. More of that, please.
* Oh boy, Bucs staffers are setting up the stacked trash cans on a flatbed card again, right in Joe’s line of vision.
* And just like that, Joe missed a play because it happened right behind the trash cans. Trask had a pass tipped at the lin,e and the culprit/playmaker was lost to history, hidden behind the trash cans. Maybe if the players whine enough about not getting proper kudos because they were being hidden by the Bucs from the local pen and mic club, then staffers will be a bit more aware of where they place the trash cans — but Joe is guessing they were ordered to place them exactly where they ended up.
* Trask is right on the money, throwing to Ryan Miller on the left sideline. Could Trask be feeling the heat and, as a result, stepped up his game? Trask is very sharp today.
* Perfection: Teddy Bridgewater steps on the field and throws a high, lollipop pass that Joe thought was going to bring rai,n and the ball perfectly drops into Mike Evans’ arms down the right sideline in stride. Doesn’t get any better than that.
* Egbuka is wide ass open down the right sideline, and he makes a fingertip catch with his outstretched arms. You know how Joe often has typed that Egbuka is a Chris Godwin clone? Well, on that play, he looked just like Evans when he reaches out with a pterodactyl-like wingspan.
* Mayfield tried to get the ball to Evans over the middle, and it is broken up by Kaevon Merriweather.
* Bridgewater connects with Tez Johnson over the middle, and Johnson gets some good YAC.
* Rachaad White up the middle..
* Trask throws over the middle (Joe couldn’t tell who the intended receiver was,) and it is nearly picked by Bryce Hall.
* Sean Tucker with back-to-back runs, one to the left and the other, right.
* Jaden Smith catches a pass near the right sideline from Trask.
* Bridgewater connects with Tanner Taula to the right. Taula looks like he’s a practice squad candidate. He’s had a lot of targets this summer.
* Josh Williams runs to the right.
* Bridgewater tries to throw to Rakim Jarrett to the left sideline. The ball is high, and Jarrett went high to try to get it. So too did JayVian Farr, and the ball was volleyballed in the air, falling incomplete.
* Mayfield throws to Evans along the left sideline, and it is a perfect throw-and-catch about 15 yards downfield. Hits Evans right in the hands.
* Williams runs right.
* Mayfield throws to Bucky Irving to the right side. Bucky bobbles the ball but still grabs the handle and continues to head to the right sideline.
* McCollum is having a good day, too. Evans goes down the right sideline, and Mayfield hits him right in the hands. But McCollum is there to swat the ball out of Evans’ hands, incomplete.
Two-minute drill
* Bridgewater to Tez Johnson over the middle.
* Bridgewater to Williams to the right.
* Bridgewater to Payne Durham along the right sideline.
* Bridgewater tries for Trey Palmer to the right in the back of the end zone, no. Merriweather dives fruitlessly for a pick.
* Bridgewater sidearms a pass over the middle for Garrett Greene.
And the horn sounds, ending practice early and summer training camp, and preseason practices are done for 2025. Joe hopes you enjoyed the daily practice notes. See you next spring.
August 21st, 2025 at 11:58 am
Until next spring….
August 21st, 2025 at 11:59 am
Beers for Joe! Beers for Joe!
Great job. Thank you.
August 21st, 2025 at 12:04 pm
Thank you! See you next season!
August 21st, 2025 at 12:04 pm
Thanks, Joes!!! Love this content.
August 21st, 2025 at 12:06 pm
Thanks for all the notes, Joe(s)!
August 21st, 2025 at 12:12 pm
🫡
August 21st, 2025 at 12:23 pm
These practice notes give us a good feel for how things are going (who’s having a good day and who’s having a not-so-good day). Love it!! I know it must be a pain in the arse to type them up after practice is over but hope you keep it up.
August 21st, 2025 at 12:37 pm
Joe, thank you so much for all the time and effort you put in to get these notes throughout training camp! 🙂
August 21st, 2025 at 12:38 pm
Excellent appetizer Joe. Can’t wait for the season to start. JOB WELL DONE!
August 21st, 2025 at 12:45 pm
I add my sincere thanks, too.
August 21st, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Nice work! Thanks Joe!
August 21st, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Yes, we did
Thanks
August 21st, 2025 at 1:01 pm
Thanks Joe- like always, these are awesome!
August 21st, 2025 at 1:12 pm
Thanks Joe, these posts get me through my long days at work. They even helped me through being deployed to the Middle East during the 2023 season!
August 21st, 2025 at 1:14 pm
Jose, the preseason is good for everyone who is not obviously a starter. I thought we knew that.
August 21st, 2025 at 1:27 pm
– Jaden Smith catches a pass near the right sideline from Trask
The slapmasters’ son?
August 21st, 2025 at 1:28 pm
I thought teddy got someone injured again
August 21st, 2025 at 1:42 pm
Really appreciate the detail in these practice updates. Thanks for being out there in the heat so we can read about the performances.
August 21st, 2025 at 1:54 pm
Thank you for the effort Joes!! Looks like a promising season lies ahead!! LFG!!
August 21st, 2025 at 1:57 pm
Great notes every time, Joe. Thank you so much for all your hard work. Go Teddy Go! He is a powerhouse. Mike is sounding perfect. Glad to hear Trask was doing pretty well. Zyon doing well. Rooting for Tanner. Go Bucs!
They sure seem to have a lot of trash cans. Thinking you are completely right on that too.
August 21st, 2025 at 2:07 pm
And now the season is (almost) officially upon us! Let’s go Bucs baby
August 21st, 2025 at 2:09 pm
“The slapmasters’ son?”
No relation, that Jaden Smith is only like 5’8 147lbs
August 21st, 2025 at 2:20 pm
Great job!! 👍👍👍
Now enjoy the A/C!
August 21st, 2025 at 2:23 pm
Thanks for getting up early to beat the traffic and weathering the heat and the storms to bring us the updates on our team. You are the best Bucs beat website in the world.
August 21st, 2025 at 2:29 pm
Thanks Joe
Any Dennis Houston sightings?
August 21st, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Thank you Joe!
Go Bucs!!!!
August 21st, 2025 at 2:36 pm
This right here is one of the very reasons Joe launched this site back in 2008. So many people are dying each day chained to a cubicle begging for something to read to help get them through another grueling work day.
Thanks for you service First Last! 🙂
August 21st, 2025 at 2:39 pm
Heat doesn’t bother Joe. It’s nothing that a cold beer can’t fix later. 🙂
Lack of sleep is what catches up with Joe!
When Joe is at practice, and games too, he tries to be the eyes and ears for readers who can’t be there.
Thanks for the kind words! 👍
August 21st, 2025 at 2:44 pm
Thanks for the work Joe. Appreciate all you do!
August 21st, 2025 at 2:46 pm
thanks Joe’s for the ride along notes to training camp ’25, a great read.
August 21st, 2025 at 2:49 pm
We should all chip in for some stilts for Joe so he can see over the trash cans.
August 21st, 2025 at 3:18 pm
Good job joe..I wish they let you record atleast 1 play
August 21st, 2025 at 3:27 pm
Thank you Joe for the hard work and dedication!