3 observations from Day 1 of Buccaneers mandatory minicamp

Mandatory minicamp is officially here, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came out firing on Day 1.

Attendance is mandatory, and every Bucs player was either at practice or in the building for minicamp — but one side of the ball ruled the practice overall. BucsGameday was live on site at One Buccaneer Place and saw all the action, and you can see just how the Bucs did on their first day back at practice as the offseason chugs along.

Here are three observations from Day 1 of rookie minicamp:

Defense wins the day

It was a defensive day today for the Buccaneers. The defense netted one interception from cornerback Bryce Hall, who bobbled it before coming down with the grab. The biggest play in camp on Day 1 arguably came from Tykee Smith, who squared up with Jalen McMillan and erased a touchdown in the back of the end zone during red zone work.

Head coach Todd Bowles was watching the offense today as pass game coordinator George Edwards called defensive plays, but he was impressed with the speed and intensity the team played with when interviewed after practice. He did mention that the Bucs need to get their hands on the ball more still — nickel cornerback Jacob Parrish made a great play on the ball on one 11v11 snap, but he dropped the would-be interception.

Haason Reddick looks smooth

Bucs fans debated on whether or not it was okay that new Bucs edge rusher Haason Reddick was absent from OTAs the last two weeks, but he's here at mandatory minicamp — and he looks strong already.

Reddick moved fluidly and fast in individual drills and got some work done during team drills, too. He did jump offsides at one point while still getting a feel for Todd Bowles defense, but he also recorded what would have been a sack during the end of practice at red zone drills. It's just shorts and shirts, so it's hard to evaluate edge rushers at this point during the year, but Reddick looks motivated to contribute in Tampa Bay.

Offense focuses on short game

Defense may have won the day, but the offense didn't stretch the field all too much on Day 1. Offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard seemed to focus today's playcalling on short passes, be it screens, dump offs or wheel routes to both sides of the field. The team's running backs got work during these periods with plays like that, but wide receiver screens featuring players like Emeka Egbuka and Sterling Shepard were common. The one deep ball we did see went to Jalen McMillan from the arm of Kyle Trask, but McMillan dropped it while wide open at the back of the field.

That being said, don't expect to see too much of this in the regular season. Quarterback Baker Mayfield said after practice that offense knows it needs more explosive plays than it had last year, so a more vertical approach to the passing game is likely in the cards.