3 Observations From Day 5 of Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp

TAMPA, FL — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held Day 5 of training camp on Monday, and goodness, it was a rainy one.

The Bucs eventually moved into the indoor practice facility for the back half of practice, but to start, they were out in the pouring rain for the first day of pads. There was a lot to talk about, from injury updates, a star player on the defense and the defense as a whole putting in a strong effort.

As always, BucsGameday was live on site at One Buccaneer Place for practice (and we have the drenched clothes to prove it). Here are three of our observations from the day's action:

Updates on Injured Players

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Chris Braswell (43) high-fives cornerback Jacob Parrish (25) after sacking New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DT Vita Vea and LT Tristan Wirfs, both of whom injured themselves during pre-camp conditioning tests (Vea back, Wirfs hamstring), are still not participating. Head coach Todd Bowles called Wirfs “week to week”, so we’ll see how long it takes him to get back to it.

CB Benjamin Morrison is still not participating, but neither is defensive back Jacob Parrish. Both were seen doing work outside the Indoor Practice Facility on Monday.

Finally, wideout Jalen McMillan and wideout Emeka Egbuka were also not participating. Bowles said that Parrish and McMillan were both dealing with some lower-body soreness and did not practice Monday as a result.

The was no word on Egbuka, who suited up but did not participate in 11-on-11 work.

D-Line Wins First Day of Pads

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (94) watches the action against the Pittsburgh Steelers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was the defensive line’s day on Day 5 when the playing field was leveled with pads on.

Run game holes were frequently plugged, with very few run plays managing to get going. Pressure was plentiful during passing downs — outside linebacker David Walker has looked particularly impressive during camp so far.

Rueben Bain Jr. showed some impressive pressure across the day, too, showing out in pads. Calijah Kancey also had a would-be sack on Jake Browning, too.

The offensive line will have plenty of time to respond as training camp continues, but Monday was an impressive proof of concept for a revamped defensive line.

Zyon McCollum Strikes

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27) warms up before a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s been a day for cornerback Zyon McCollum, who showed he can anchor that No. 1 corner spot.

McCollum had a nice interception over wideout Kameron Johnson in 1v1s — his second interception of camp so far. After that, he shined in 11v11 work, netting two pass breakups on the day — including a nice one on tight end Cade Otton in the corner of the field.

There were other players, like linebacker Josiah Trotter, who impressed on the day. But McCollum was flying all over the field, and it was hard not to notice.

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