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Buccaneers rookies shine on Day 4 of OTAs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had some young players stand out on Day 4 of OTAs.
A general view of Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmets against the Kansas City Chiefs.
A general view of Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmets against the Kansas City Chiefs. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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It was a day for some of the rookies at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' fourth day of OTAs.

The Bucs will hold six days total, and two of them — Day 1 and Day 4 — are available for the media to watch. While it's only shirts and shorts, there's still a little bit to glean from the practices and quite a few players have been in attendance for both days.

As always, BucsGameday was live on site for our coverage of OTAs. Here are three of our observations from Day 4:

Rookies stand out

Two of Tampa Bay's rookies made some big plays on Day 4. Tez Johnson seemed to gel well with quarterback Kyle Trask, and he caught one big deep ball for a touchdown after beating incumbent safety Tykee Smith on a rep. Rookie corner Benjamin Morrison, who is participating fully after having surgery on his hip, also made a great pass breakup on first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, climbing the latter to rip the ball out.

Veteran linebacker makes a huge play

The play of the day came from veteran linebacker Deion Jones. Jones, in his second year with the Bucs, made a very impressive interception on quarterback Kyle Trask. He tipped the ball facing the quarterback before whipping around and coming down with the ball behind him. The defensive sideline went wild, of course, but it was also the only pick of the session.

One Bucs starter returns to practice

Buccaneers offensive tackle Luke Goedeke was a little banged up and working with a trainer on Day 1 of OTAs, but he returned to practice Tuesday and looked to be a participant. Head coach Todd Bowles mentioned that he expects everyone to be available for training camp, so it was never a uge concern, but it's still good to see him out there.

Haason Reddick still did not show up — Tristan Wirfs, Vita Vea and Lavonte David appeared at practice but did not participate. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were still absent.


READ MORE: Initially-absent Buccaneers star pictured at OTAs during Week 1

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River Wells
RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.

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