Pewter Report’s Bucs Training Camp coverage is presented by USF Football
Get your season tickets to see the Bulls by CLICKING HERE
The 2025 season kicks off Thursday, August 28 at 5:30 p.m. against Boise State!

Following close to a full week in Pittsburgh, the Bucs returned to Tampa and practiced at their facility on Tuesday after having the previous two days off. The team practiced around the regular starting time in Tampa at 8:30 a.m., but instead of using the middle and right fields, the Bucs used the left field for the majority of practice where typically injured players use to get running and conditioning in.

It was about 90 degrees and partly cloudy when the Bucs got it going. Pewter Report’s Matt Matera was on hand for the whole practice. This is a recap of what went on.

Big News On Bucs That Were Out And Returning

The headline as soon as practice was done and the media spoke with Todd Bowles was that wide receiver Jalen McMillan is going to miss time in the regular season due to a severe neck strain and will likely be placed on injured reserve. That causes an immediate blow to just not the receiver room, but the entire roster as well.

Defensive back Christian Izien was also out because of an oblique injury, and Bowles said after practice that it “could” keep him out of the season opener against Atlanta. Fellow safety Tykee Smith was out along with starting cornerback Jamel Dean and rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who hasn’t practiced in two weeks. Tampa Bay is really banged up at cornerback as reserves Josh Hayes and Tyrek Funderburk were out, too.

Bucs DB Christian Izien – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Also missing practice was inside linebacker Antonio Grier Jr., defensive tackle Mike Greene, center Jake Majors, offensive lineman Raiqwon O’Neal and receivers Jacob Harris and Dennis Houston.

While there were a lot of players missing, and some very important ones, the Bucs also had some good news on the injury front. Running back Rachaad White returned to practice for the first time since injuring his groin in the Week 1 preseason game against the Titans. Starting free safety Antoine Winfield Jr. also came back after missing a whole week because of a lower leg injury, and cornerback Bryce Hall was also playing for the defense following some missed time.

Bucs RB Rachaad White and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Receivers Trey Palmer and Kameron Johnson each returned during the joint practice with the Steelers last Thursday but didn’t play in the preseason game due to their lack of practice time. They continued to practice on Tuesday in their return to Tampa. It just became that much more important because of the situation with McMillan’s injury.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Makes Splash Play In Return

There seems to be a common trend when Antoine Winfield Jr. comes back from an injury. Last season after getting injured later in the season opener that caused him to miss then next four games, Winfield came back in Week 6 and was the beneficiary of a scoop and score touchdown against the Saints on a forced fumble caused by Zyon McCollum.

During the first training camp practice of 2025 following an injury-plagued season, Winfield once again was involved in a turnover. On the first day where Zyon McCollum nearly intercepted a pass intended for Mike Evans, Winfield had the concentration to intercept the ball as it was up in the air and keep his feet in bounds. Then he followed that up with another interception a few plays later on the first day of practice.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Winfield would take the ball away upon his return after missing a week. The Bucs were in 7-on-7s when quarterback Baker Mayfield attempted to throw deep and over the middle to Evans as the intended target. It was good coverage by fellow safety Kaevon Merriwethaer on the play as he cut in front of Evans and knocked the ball into the air.

Once again being at the right place at the right time, Winfield was there to clean it up and record the interception. The guy just continues to make plays when available.

It’s evident to see how important Winfield is to the defense when he’s playing in any capacity. The whole unit becomes better and feeds off of his energy.

“He’s fast and focused,” Bowles said. “Anytime ‘Win’ is out there, he enjoys playing the game, and you love that about him. He works on different things every day to get better, and he tries to not be satisfied with the day before. He was flying around today.”

Luke Goedeke And Haason Reddick Have Some Good Bouts

Through the course of training camp we’ve seen a couple of good matchups between right tackle Luke Goedeke, who is rapidly rising as a top offensive tackle in this game, and outside linebacker Haason Reddick who is a veteran edge rusher who has been a great player at his position for several years.

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tuesday’s practice was a nice example of seeing two premiere players go at each other, learn what went right and wrong, and then continue to battle with each side winning.

There were some one-on-ones between the offensive linemen and defensive linemen where Goedeke got the better of Reddick by stonewalling him to the outside.But, when they matched up again during 11-on-11s, it was Reddick with a quick move getting by Goedeke for what would’ve been a sack on Baker Mayfield during the play. Surely, they won’t mind not having to go against each other every day when the regular season arrives.

Observations & Highlights From Day 16 Of Bucs Training Camp

• Inside linebacker Lavonte David made an incredible leaping interception off Baker Mayfield where he tipped the ball to himself with one hand and caught it with the other. He was covering tight end Cade Otton on the play and showed that he still very much has it at age 35.
• Besides the two interceptions, Mayfield was consistent in slinging the ball where he wanted to. The Bucs didn’t take a lot of shots down the field, but he was really good underneath.
• Quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Teddy Bridgewater each split time with the second-string offense. Neither had a leg up on the other.
• Cornerback Bryce Hall made a nice pass breakup in his return to action by knocking the ball away from wide receiver Trey Palmer.

Bucs CB Bryce Hall – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Cornerback Zyon McCollum was jumping routes today and nearly had a pick but settled for a PBU.
• The highlight offensive play was about a 45-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown down the right sideline by Ryan Miller. He may have earned the final receiver spot with all that’s going on.
• Safety Shilo Sanders gave quite the shoulder tackle to running back Sean Tucker when the play was ending, knocking Tucker down after a big run.
• Tight end Devin Culp left practice before it finished, going inside with trainers and medics. Looks like it could have been heat exhaustion or a dehydration issue. We will monitor Culp tomorrow.
• Although Rachaad White returned to the backfield, he didn’t get many reps. Just a couple of handoffs. Birthday boy Bucky Irving took most of the reps along with Josh Williams and Owen Wright in the rotation.