The Good and Not So Good From Buccaneers' Mandatory Minicamp
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wrapped up their mandatory minicamp a day early, cancelling Thursday's workouts after Todd Bowles was evidently impressed enough to move on to the next phase of the team's offseason program.
Despite some significant offseason depatures (Mike Evans, Lavonte David), the shadow of last year's late-season collapse still hanging over them, and some big questions looming, the Bucs have plenty of reasons to be excited about the upcoming 2026 NFL season,
Many of those positives have already been on full display throughout the team's minicamp practices, but not everything has been encouraging. Here's the best and the worst that we've seen from One Buc Place this week:
Still Talent, Leadership at WR
There's a massive absence at Bucs camp for the first time in 12 years, as star wide receiver Mike Evans will be playing elsewhere this season. But even without him in the mix, the Bucs aren't hurting for veteran leadership and experience at the position, nor is the cupboard bare in terms of promising talent.
Chris Godwin Jr. now assumes the role of elder statesman, heading into his 10th season, all of which have been spent in Tampa Bay. He's developed into a respected leader in his own right, with a similar selfless approach that defined Evans' tenure with the team. He's also fully healthy after dealing with multiple injuries over the last few seasons, and should be the best version of himself that Bucs fans have seen in a while.
There's ton of young talent behind him, too. Star rookie from 2025Emeka Egbuka is primed for a huge sophomore season, and Jalen McMillan is a massive sleeper after missing most of last season with a neck injury. Tez Johnson provided some big-play ability as a seventh-round rookie last year, and should be even better in 2026, and the Bucs spent this year's third-round pick on Ted Hurst, who should help replace some of the size and playmaking ability Evans brought to the table.
Vita Vea's Contract-Related Absence
Wednesday's practice brought an ugly moment during defensive drills, as a pair of outside linebackers slammed into one another. Mo Kamara and Chris Braswell collided and both spent time on the ground before leaving the field, with Kamara looking like he took the worst of it while limping off the field with training staff.
Tampa Bay's depth at the position should be much improved this year, but they've seen injuries pile up at any number of positions in the past. Nobody wants to see this kind of thing happen to any player during offseason workouts, so hopefully, this one looked worse than the end result will end up being. The Bucs will need everything the can get from this year's roster, especially on defense, if they want to get back to the top of the NFC South.
Big Plays on Both Sides of the Ball
Throughout offseason practice, the Bucs have been providing plenty of splash plays in both directions, from highlight-reel catches to scoring takeaways. The wide receiver group continues to flash big-play ability despite Evans' departure, and Bowles' defense is looking more opportunistic in camp than they have been during the regular season recently.
That trend continued Wednesday, with Tez Johnson grabbing a pair of impressive touchdown catches, and cornerback Josh Hayes taking back a pick-six. Every NFL team wants more big plays at all times, but the Bucs went through long stretches without enough of them last season, especially in clutch moments. It looks like that might not be as much of an issue this time around.
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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 3:28 PM.