The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were forced indoors Sunday for Day 4 of training camp after rain knocked them off the outdoor field, and the day belonged to the defense.
There was at least one welcome development on the injury front. Cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who had been sidelined by a hamstring injury through the first three days of camp, was back as a full participant for individual drills for the first time this summer. He still did not take part in team drills.
A couple of other notable absences and returns also shaped the day. Tristan Wirfs and Vita Vea, both dealing with injuries from Tampa Bay’s conditioning test before camp, were not participating.
Vea was around, but Wirfs was not on hand. On the other side of the ledger, Chris Godwin and A’Shawn Robinson, both on scheduled vet days, were both active Sunday.
The offense had a rough time attacking downfield. Tampa Bay finished just 1-for-7 on deep passes, and the most memorable miss turned into a takeaway when Baker Mayfield’s throw to Jalen McMillan was wrestled away by Antoine Winfield Jr. for an interception. The lone deep connection came on a crossing route to David Sills, who turned it into a touchdown down the left sideline.
If the passing game struggled to stretch the field, the defense made sure the session had its own edge. Winfield’s interception was joined by another from new safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, who stepped in front of a Jake Browning pass. The secondary and linebackers kept showing up around the ball, with Josh Hayes, Caden Fordham, SirVocea Dennis and Damarion Williams all breaking up passes as Tampa Bay’s coverage tightened throughout the day.
After a strong deep-ball showing on Day 2, Sunday was a clear swing in the other direction. Camp keeps rolling through August, and the Buccaneers will have plenty more chances to clean up the timing and get back in rhythm.
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