Bucs Camp Studs And Duds: 8/2

After months of growing anticipation, Bucs training camp is underway. Sunday was the fourth day of training camp and there were some standout performers as well as a few who underwhelmed.

Following Day 4 of camp, who were the biggest studs and duds in practice coming from the indoor facility?

Studs From Day 4 Of Bucs Training Camp

S Antoine Winfield Jr.

Winfield always has a smile on when whether he’s practicing or speaking with reporters. With that said, he smile widened even more the other day when talking about the new schematics of the defense this season and his involvement with it. We can all see why now because Winfield is able to have free range, allowing him to get back to his athletic prowess that made him an All-Pro.

He made an All-Pro play on Sunday with an incredible interception. As Winfield was covering Jalen McMillan far down the field, the throw from Baker Mayfield was initially caught by a leaping McMillan. However, Winfield ripped the ball out from McMillan’s clutches and had the wherewithal to land in bounds to make it a pick instead of a pass breakup. If SportsCenter was running their top plays, there’s no doubt it would be in at minimum the top three.

The player had a similar feel to when Winfield recorded an interception against the Colts in 2023 when he “Mossed” Michael Pittman Jr. for a highlight play. It’s those kind of athletic plays like Winfield had on Sunday in practice that can get him back to an All-Pro level.

OLB David Walker

Walker continues to have a dominant training camp often establishing his residency in the backfield. He’s showing how quick he can be off the ball and throwing in an arsenal of pass rushing moves. He had a sack on Jake Browning early on in practice, then sacked Browning again later on in a goal line session. His knee looks like it’s holding up well, and his body language is showing a player with swagger and confidence.

WR David Sills V

It was a nice breakout day for Sills, who recorded at least three touchdowns in practice. The Bucs don’t have too much height at receiver with the exception of the 6-foot-4 Sills and the 6-foot-4 Ted Hurts, but Sills was using all of his length today to come down with the ball and score for the offense. There was solid production from Bucs wideouts today, but Sills stood out the most.

ILB Caden Fordham

What a day it was for the rookie undrafted free agent out of North Carolina State. Fordham was everywhere today making contributions to the defense. He sacked Baker Mayfield on a blitz, going right through the middle and knifing through the offensive line to find the quarterback. Then he made a diving stop for a pass breakup that would have been a potential touchdown for Chris Godwin Jr.

Fordham also had a tackle for loss, making plays in several areas on defense. It’ll be tough for him to make the active roster but he is beginning to give himself a chance at the practice squad.

RB Bucky Irving

It’s not always easy for running backs to make a splash when the full pads aren’t on yet, but Irving is an exception to the rule. He made an impact both running and receiving on Sunday. First was the ground game, where he bolted for 20-yard run getting to the second and third level. Later in goal line, Irving scored a touchdown on a throw from Baker Mayfield that had the crowd in the facility erupt with applause. He’s looking like the Irving that has Pro Bowl potential from the 2024 season.

CB Damarion “Pepe” Williams

After allowing a big play the other day in practice, Williams was extremely sharp on Sunday. He’s getting a lot of reps against the Bucs’ top receivers and is holding his own. Williams had two pass breakups on Sunday with each play being eye opening. After initially getting beat deep by Jalen McMillan, Williams got on his horse, caught up to the pass, leaped into the air and swatted the ball away for an incompletion.

Later while covering Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay’s wide receiver had his hands on the football only for a moment before Williams stuck his hand in there to knock it out for another standout play. He’s showing that he’ll never give up on a rep and that’s a great trait to have for his position.

Duds From Day 4 Of Bucs Training Camp

Bucs O-Line Pass Blocking 

It was a sack-a-palooza for the defensive line today. So while that’s good for the defense, it’s a bad look for the offense. The second unit particularly struggled with keeping it together as the pocket often collapsed and broke up plays. The first-string offensive line wasn’t that much better either. Chalk it up to a bad day.

Baker Mayfield’s Deep Ball Throws 

Baker Mayfield was good overall in practice on Sunday so this is a bit of a nitpick from the session. After throwing a great deep ball to Emeka Egbuka on Friday, Mayfield didn’t have the same success with his throws on Sunday. There were three different occasions where Mayfield had a receiver a couple of steps ahead of the nearest defender, and each time he wasn’t able to connect on them. Two were underthrown while another was overthrown.  He’s got the arm strength, it’s just the accuracy that was the problem on Sunday.

WR Eric Rivers

Rivers could have had a nice 20-yard completion on a crossing route over to the middle-left side of the field. Quarterback Jalon Daniels hit him right on the money in the hands and Rivers just dropped it. The ball deflected off his hands and then hit the defensive back in the helmet for a incompletion on the play. There was no excuse not to make the catch. Rivers is fast, but hasn’t had much receiving production as he tries to make this team.