The Tampa Bay Buccaneers put on the pads again Friday, and the action came with plenty of splash plays on both sides of the ball. The team also welcomed a few familiar faces to camp, including center Tony Mayberry, a three-time Pro Bowler in the Tony Dungy era, and former Pro Bowl cornerback Donnie Abraham, the franchise’s second-leading interceptor behind Rondé Barber.
By the end of practice, the story was clear: the defense kept landing haymakers, while a handful of players continued to separate themselves.
Dean Patterson IV keeps cashing in on his chances
With Tez Johnson, Jalen McMillan and David Sills V dealing with minor injuries, Dean Patterson IV has taken full advantage of the extra work. The undrafted Georgia Tech receiver from Pasco County picked up another touchdown on Friday and continues to stack productive reps.
Patterson is 6-foot-1, 199 pounds and runs 4.65, so he’s not winning with rare size or elite speed. What’s getting him open is his route-running, and he’s been doing that consistently since camp opened.
Zyon McCollum keeps piling up interceptions
Zyon McCollum now leads the Buccaneers with three interceptions in camp, and he nearly had a fourth on Thursday before dropping one in the end zone. He made sure not to miss this one.
McCollum stayed right on Emeka Egbuka on several snaps and finished practice with an interception. On a go route, he was step for step with Egbuka, got up, tipped the ball to himself and secured it on the way down. It was the kind of play he hasn’t been making often enough, and it looked like a confidence-building moment.
Josh Hayes turns in his best day yet
Todd Bowles has been saying Josh Hayes has improved, and Friday backed that up. Hayes is still valued first for special teams, especially as a gunner, but he’s becoming less of a weakness on defense and more of a playmaker.
His biggest moment was a 99-yard pick-six off a tipped pass from Christian Rozeboom. Rozeboom, working in the lower red zone, read Jake Browning’s eyes and dropped deeper into the end zone to deflect a throw intended for Garrett Greene.
Hayes grabbed the loose ball and took it the distance. He later added a pass breakup on a crossing route and may have had his best practice of camp.
David Walker keeps wrecking things
Eight days into camp, David Walker has at least eight sacks, and he added another on Friday. At this point, it’s hard to ignore what he’s doing.
Walker has been the standout of Buccaneers training camp so far, and he’s earned a look higher on the depth chart. Right now he’s working against third-string competition opposite Chris Braswell, but that feels too low for what he’s shown. A move with the starters or second team seems overdue, and the joint practices next week against the Jets might be the right time for it.
The middle of the line got work done too
Sacks don’t usually come from nose tackles unless Vita Vea is involved, but A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches both got to Baker Mayfield on Friday. Those were coverage sacks, with the secondary doing its job and leaving Mayfield nowhere to go.
Robinson added another sack later against the second-team offensive line, powering through the unit and getting to Jake Browning. For a group of veterans in the middle, it was a strong day.
Cade Otton stood out on offense
Offense didn’t produce many headline plays, but Cade Otton was one of the exceptions. Bucky Irving also had a solid day on the ground, but Otton made the biggest impact in the passing game.
He caught a touchdown from Baker Mayfield in the back of the end zone and later added a 25-yard grab on an intermediate throw. Otton has put together a strong camp and looks like he’s already earning that $10 million, especially as a pass catcher. With Mike Evans’ red-zone touchdowns gone, Otton appears positioned to help absorb some of that production, especially with his chemistry with Mayfield.
Ted Hurst missed a chance
Friday’s dud list starts with a small nitpick, but it still counts. Ted Hurst got open in the back of the end zone on a lower red zone rep and had a chance to bring down a touchdown from Baker Mayfield. The pass was high, but it was the kind of throw a 6-foot-4 receiver should be able to handle.
Instead, the ball went through Hurst’s hands for an incompletion. Given his history of high-point catches at Georgia State and some he’s already made in camp, that one should have been his. Drops always hurt, and drops in the end zone hurt even more.
Pass protection was still an issue
The Buccaneers’ offensive line did a much better job opening lanes in the run game, especially with the second unit. Kadarius Calloway and Josh Williams both ripped off several big runs.
Pass protection, though, was another story. The interior struggled, with defensive tackles consistently collapsing the pocket and overpowering guards and centers. The tackles held up better, but the middle of the line gave up too much pressure, including sacks from A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, plus pressures from linebackers Alex Anzalone and Josiah Trotter against both the first and second units.
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Buccaneers Receiver Battle Suddenly Has One Name Fans Cant Ignore
With several players sidelined for injuries or personal reasons on the Buccaneers eighth day of training camp, the receiver competition kept drawing attention, and Dean Patterson kept making a case for himself. He has been one of the most noticeable standouts in camp, stacking together strong practices and giving the staff another name to track as the wideout group continues to sort itself out.
Pattersons production has come at a time when the battle behind the established options feels wide open, especially with younger receivers still working through the usual camp growing pains. Emeka Egbuka, for one, has shown the kind of areas that still need sharpening, particularly against press and man coverage, which only adds to the intrigue around how this room will look once the Buccaneers get deeper into preseason work. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Just Got An NFC South Prediction Fans Will Hate
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The prediction leans on an offseason shaped by roster changes and a deeper battle inside the NFC South, where Tampa Bay is still viewed as a team capable of contending if it stays healthy. But a repeat of an 8-9 finish would leave the Buccaneers once again stuck in the middle, close enough to matter and far enough away from the top spot to make the margin feel painfully thin. [Read more 🡒]