3 takeaways from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2025 mandatory minicamp

Mandatory minicamp is officially over. Day 3 took place on Thursday, and it was a very short practice with most veterans not participating — due to Day 3's field day-like structure, we've decided to give you three observations across every day of minicamp as it officially comes to a close.

BucsGameday was live on site at One Buccaneer Place and saw all the action, and you can see just how the Bucs did across all three days of practice as the long wait for training camp begins.

Defense rules... for now

The defense had the upper hand across all three days of mandatory minicamp. They had a wealth of picks — three on Day 2 — and generally stifled the offense, which is what Todd Bowles probably likes to see given how ineffective the unit was last season.

That being said, it's shorts and t-shirts. Right tackle Luke Goedeke explained to media after Day 2 that linemen have a tougher time at this point in the year without pads, as they can't be as aggressive on the line and defensive players have more to grab. We should see offense come back triumphant in training camp once the pads come on and Josh Grizzard's offensive scheme settles in a bit more, but as we'll point out later, it wasn't all bad for the unit over three days.

The energy is right

This Bucs team is having a lot of fun, and you can tell. Offense and defense were chirping at each other all camp, and they weren't afraid to celebrate when their unit came out on top. That kind of energy is infectious, and multiple players across all three days mentioned how much it breeds healthy competition and allows the Buccaneers to get better.

With most players from last year returning to the team, Tampa Bay's chemistry is as strong as it has been, and players from every position corps are feeding off of it.

The Bucs have some tough decisions at wide receiver

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a big wide receiver problem, but not in the way that most teams do.

There's a lot of talent — maybe too much. Todd Bowles mentioned that rookie wide receiver Tez Johnson has had a great offseason and that he could be a part of the offense moving forward, but how will he do that with Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan ahead of him? McMillan had a very strong Day 2 and showcased his skills while Egbuka has shown himself to be a polished rookie with strong route running skills and a knowledge of the scheme.

The Bucs will have to figure out how all of these players will fit in once the games start to count. It's a great problem to have, but it isn't an easy one to solve.