Bucs Camp Studs And Duds: 8/3

As of now, Garnes is someone making a strong case to stick as a depth corner on the 53-man roster, and assuredly on the practice squad. Still, practice to preseason and preseason to regular season is a significant jump, so how he fares under the lights is even more critical.

ILB Josiah Trotter

The concerns surrounding Josiah Trotter hitting the ground running were alleviated just a bit seeing him out there in the indoor practice facility. Trotter had his best practice session yet, highlighted by two back-to-back plays he made that were a realization of the team’s plans for him.

It was a day that the run game did not get much of anything going. Credit deserves to go all across the board for the efforts made in the front seven, but it was the second-round pick who stood out in how he crashed the line of scrimmage and snuffed out any holes in the run game, finishing with three tackles for loss.

OLB Mo Kamara

Mo Kamara has been around with the Bucs for a bit now, but we have not seen him out there much making an impact. Kamara’s name was mentioned the most it ever has been during the morning, as he was another defender who made back-to-back plays.

Kamara has a difficult road ahead of him to even make the practice squad, given the team’s new and improved depth at outside linebacker. Days like the one he had on Monday will help him climb up the depth chart ever so slightly.

Bucs Defensive Line

Running lanes were hard to come by, and that is also due to the efforts of the Bucs defensive line. Veteran defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson is every bit of a tone-setter, and he spoke about how each line of defense stepped up during practice.

“We’re coming along good,” Robinson told Pewter Report. “We just got to keep working, keep building consistency, holding each other accountable, and dominating play-in and play-out.” He did not just notice it from one defensive lineman, but the whole group upfront.

“Everybody is showing up off the screen, to be honest,” Robinson added. “We’re all doing our job at a high level, and we demand it from each other. We’re just trying to stay on top of that, doing things the right way… everything will fall in line from top to bottom. Not just one position, every position on defense.”

Calijah Kancey had a sack, while Elijah Roberts had consecutive run stuffs. No matter which defensive lineman was out there, they were contributing.

Special Teams Coordinator Danny Smith

This column has been reserved for player standouts, but the way Danny Smith has led the special teams has been one of the biggest breathes of fresh air. Smith has made the most out of every second of special teams periods, including spending about 10 minutes to practice onside kicks with the hands team.

Long snapper Evan Deckers was even out there booting onside kicks to the sideline, where the whole wide receiver group was out there, along with Tykee Smith. Danny Smith has brought innovation to what was such a stale operation in recent years. It really is exciting to see, and he is by far the most vocal coach on the field at all times. Tykee Smith, Chris Godwin Jr. and Antoine Winfield Jr. starred as onside kick recovery specialists.

Duds From Day 5 Of Bucs Training Camp

TE Devin Culp

This is not the first time that Devin Culp is on the “duds” list.

Culp had another camp practice that raises concerns about his ability to make the team for his receiving chops. When the team moved inside, there was no excuse for him dropping a pass, but that is exactly what happened. Cade Otton is the unquestioned starter, but Bauer Sharp is starting to flash. With Payne Durham and Ko Kieft factoring in as blockers, Culp’s only chance at sticking is for his hands.

They simply have not been there yet.

OT Ben Chukwuma

It was a rough day for the Bucs left tackles and offensive line in general.

For as much promise as Ben Chukwuma has shown in the past, he had a tough morning containing the team’s outside pass rushers. Not only that, but “Chuks” was called for false starts on two plays in a row to begin 11-on-11s before being yanked from the starting lineup where he was replacing Tristan Wirfs. Hopefully for him, it is the only “dud” he has in camp, but he must turn it around on Tuesday night.

OT Justin Skule

Justin Skule was taken to school by multiple Bucs defenders in practice. First, it was Yaya Diaby who won a rep against him to force a Baker Mayfield incompletion. Then Skule was flagged for holding Rueben Bain Jr., who would have recorded a sack otherwise. Adding to that, Josiah Trotter bullied him (as noted above). For as much as the team’s offensive tackle depth has been praised, this marked a day of disappointment for them.