The Bucs roster has reported to Tampa Bay, and as a result, they have started their journey into the 2025 season. It starts at home in Tampa Bay, but they hope it ends on the road in Santa Clara, where they have a chance to raise the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in five years.
The worst part of football, especially during training camp, is waiting for injury updates as they occur or as players attempt to return from injuries sustained the previous season.
In the case of the Bucs, they had to battle the injury bug more than they did any divisional opponent. It will make monitoring injuries throughout camp a big part of our coverage here on Bucs Wire over the next couple of weeks.
After day seven, the veterans stole the show in a variety of ways at Bucs training camp.
Defensive and offensive lines go at it
Early on in Friday’s practice, the Bucs’ defensive front was getting all sorts of penetration and pressure on the Bucs’ backfield. The offensive line struggled some with what Todd Bowles was throwing at them, and despite it, Josh Grizzard’s unit found a way to get some of their own.
While Haason Reddick, Vita Vea, and others were generating pressure, it was Cody Mauch and Graham Barton who were adapting and adjusting to their game. The offensive line is going to be tested time and again in 2025, especially while Tristan Wirfs is recovering from his knee injury. Seeing them give each other licks early on is suitable for both of them, but especially the offense. Remove the bad reps now so that when the regular season starts, they are ready for their demanding schedule from the beginning.
Kyle Trask shines without Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield missed practice on Friday with a hand injury that isn’t expected to be significant. In his place, Kyle Trask got some much-needed first-team reps as only he and rookie Connor Bazelak were healthy passers on Friday.
Trask made several good throws according to reports from those who watched practice, including one out of the gate to Mike Evans. From there, Trask made some mistakes, but he played with a confidence down the stretch that folks have not seen from him since his final year with the Florida Gators. Mayfield is expected back soon, so the reps will be gone for Trask, but this could be something where if he starts in a pinch, it helps him down the road.
Benjamin Morrison’s hip looks healed and then some
Benjamin Morrison fell to the second round of the NFL Draft after a hip injury ended his final year at Notre Dame early. Whenever a cornerback has a hip injury, it raises questions, and as a result, he went from being a top ten pick to a value for the Bucs. Through nearly ten days of training camp, Morrison is looking like the steal of the draft.
He has been giving fits to veterans like Mike Evans and keeping rookies like Emeka Egbuka in check in coverage as well. While the team struggles to figure out their identity, Morrison is doing his best to show he is worthy of being a starting outside corner for years to come within this defense.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs training camp notebook, Day 8: OL and DL battle back and fourth