The Good and Not So Good From the Buccaneers' First Padded Practice

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gone through five days of training camp, but Monday was the first day in full pads.

Those practices are, as most players have asserted in post-practice media sessions, "real football." Players have the freedom to hit and get more aggressive, and as a result, 11-on-11 periods and one-on-one showdowns are more indicative of player skill.

There was a lot to absorb from the first day in pads, and BucsGameday was there for all the action. Here's the good and the not so good from Tampa Bay's intense Day 5 of training camp:

The Good

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

CB Zyon McCollum

McCollum was flying around on Monday, and the secondary was all the better for it.

McCollum grabbed another interception on Monday, his second of camp — this time, it was during a 1v1 rep against wideout Kameron Johnson. On top of that, he had two other pass breakups, and he was a major contributor on the day to a defense that dominated on all fronts.

Tampa Bay's secondary is seeking someone to take the CB1 role, and with Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish both non-participants Monday, he's staking his claim.

OLB David Walker

The Bucs didn't have David Walker on the active roster last season after he tore his ACL in training camp. Now, he's back, and he's making a splash.

Walker won his reps during one-on-one work at the beginning of practice definitively, and he also got a lot of pressure and a would-be sack during 11-on-11 work. He's shown out in a big way so far in camp, and if he keeps playing like this, he'll compete not just for the OLB4 spot, but perhaps even higher up the depth chart.

LB Josiah Trotter

The Bucs have rotated linebacker SirVocea Dennis in with rookie Josiah Trotter, and so far during camp, Trotter has looked strong.

He had two back-to-back tackles for loss during the last 11-on-11 period, shooting the gap and stuffing a run play each time. Trotter is set to be the MIKE linebacker for Tampa Bay in 2026, and so far, he's living up to the archetype during the early days of training camp.

Free agent linebacker Alex Anzalone called Trotter a "good, heady player" with a "quick trigger" after practice, and from our vantage point, it's hard not to agree.

The Not So Good

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Devin Culp (82) works out during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Offensive Line

The offensive line was largely dominated across the board on Monday. Pressure in the passing game was frequent, and the defensive line's burst off the line in the run game stopped most run plays in their tracks on Monday.

The line is still without Tristan Wirfs, who has been nursing a hamstring injury since training camp started. His presence will help the offensive line going forward, but the o-line's first day without pads was a rough one.

Penalties

Referees showed up on Monday to help call penalties during the first day of pads, and as expected, there were a lot of them.

There were plenty of penalties, including multiple false starts, a holding penalty on Ted Hurst during an end-around touchdown and a few pass interference calls here and there. These are things that are expected to happen during camp, especially at the beginning, so no real problems yet — but it's worth watching to see if it continues.

TE Devin Culp

Devin Culp is currently battling Bauer Sharp for the TE4 position on the roster, and so far, he's had a bit of a rough go of it.

He's been injured for a good portion of the offseason, missing almost all of OTAs and Mandatory Minicamp. He's back now, though, but the only notable thing that happened with him on Monday was a dropped pass that should have been caught.

Culp will need to impress to be able to keep a roster spot this season. So far, he's done the opposite.

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