Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles: Tom Brady's absence wasn't a distraction

Head coach Todd Bowles previously insisted that Brady's absence was preplanned, approved by the team, and not at all that big of a deal. Bowles spoke with reporters after Monday's practice and noted the 45-year-old who has been with the Buccaneers since 2020 didn't appear rusty. 

"He’s very familiar with the offense, so him coming back in and us getting back to work is kind of normal. Just getting used to the heat and getting used to the guys, but he ran the offense well," Bowles said of Brady, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Bowles also added: "We’re happy to have him back. . . . He’s been great. He’s been great, same as when he left. He’s been fine." 

Brady's status understandably became one of the hottest topics of the preseason amid reports he took a family vacation to the Bahamas while away from the Buccaneers. Bowles explained that such chatter wasn't an issue for others on the roster. 

"We pretty much keep distractions out of our locker room," Bowles said. "It wasn’t a big deal to us because everybody knew what was going on." 

Perhaps Bowles and teammates such as tight end Cameron Brate knew all along that Brady was (allegedly) filming an episode of "The Masked Singer" for Fox during his hiatus. 

"If anyone can get away with an 11-day break during training camp, it’s Tom," Brate noted. "He came back firing on all cylinders again [Monday]. We are all excited he’s back, and we are ready to move on with that." 

It's unclear if Brady will play in this coming Saturday's preseason finale at the Indianapolis Colts after he didn't participate in the previous two exhibition matchups. Tampa Bay opens the regular season at the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.