Bucs Defense Won Mini-Camp – And That’s A Good Thing

INTRO: The Bucs’ offseason vacation time has officially begun with the conclusion of the team’s three-day mandatory mini-camp on Thursday. Here are some of the storylines that I tuned into, plus some of my observations and analysis as Tampa Bay continues to prepare for what could be a super season in 2025. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Bucs Defense Won Mini-Camp – And That’s A Good Thing

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles took off his defensive hat during the team’s mandatory mini-camp. Bowles was a neutral observer, letting pass game coordinator George Edwards call plays for the defense while he was watching new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard work in extended call-it periods.

While Bowles wanted to see his defense improve this offseason after being the weak link last year – mostly due to injuries – he also needs to see Tampa Bay’s high-powered offense, which carried the team last year, continue to evolve and be capable of putting up 30 points per game on a weekly basis.

With no pads and very little contact allowed during OTAs and mini-camp, the wide receivers and tight ends should have the advantage in the passing game, while the defensive line has the advantage up front against the offensive line in what amounts to flag football in the NFL offseason.

Yet it was the defense that truly won the three-day mini-camp.

And that’s a good thing.

Most notable this offseason was how closely the Bucs defensive backs were playing against the receivers and tight ends. The level of aggressiveness in the secondary has been dialed up – just as Bowles wanted and discussed in his recent appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast.

Notable plays from the open portion of the offseason practices included rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison leaping up in the air and knocking the ball out of the hands of receiver Emeka Egbuka, the team’s first-round pick, at the catch point, and strong safety Tykee Smith ripping the ball out of the hands of Jalen McMillan at the last second in the back of the end zone to prevent a touchdown.

Then there were the three interceptions of Baker Mayfield, including a pair of pick-sixes from veteran Jamel Dean and rookie Roman Parodie, during Tuesday’s mini-camp. Zyon McCollum had the third pick on Mayfield, who could’ve had four INTs, as rookie Jacob Parrish dropped one that was right in his hands.

Bucs CBs Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Granted Chris Godwin did not practice, as he is still rehabbing his dislocated ankle, and Mike Evans didn’t receive a full share of reps, as he’s 31 years old. But there was still plenty of firepower and Tampa Bay’s defense went toe-to-toe with the offense this offseason, winning the first week of OTAs and then all three mini-camp practices.

That’s not to suggest that Grizzard’s offense faltered. It didn’t. There were plenty of big plays with Kyle Trask being on point with his deep balls to rookie Tez Johnson, and Ebuka and McMillan both having some sensational plays in the passing game.

Tampa Bay’s defense wasn’t perfect, as Grizzard found ways to get his receivers open on the perimeter – both on short and intermediate throws. And there is more of a vertical element to the Bucs passing game, as Grizzard had signaled there would be this season.

But Bowles’ defense has noticeably stepped up this spring, and that’s what needed to happen.

Rookie pass rusher David Walker was the talk of rookie mini-camp and the OTAs until he pulled a hamstring. Rookie cornerbacks Parrish and Morrison look as good as advertised.

SirVocea Dennis kicked off OTAs with a dramatic interception of Mayfield across the middle, and looks to be the real deal at inside linebacker. New inside linebacker Anthony Walker and Deion Jones look to be huge upgrades over K.J. Britt and J.J. Russell.

Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

And of course, the Bucs are thrilled over the addition of veteran pass rusher Haason Reddick, whose speed off the edge was on display during the mini-camp.

Tampa Bay is also eager to see what a host of undrafted free agents – Parodie, linebackers John Bullock and Nick Jackson, defensive tackle Desmond Watson and safeties J.J. Roberts and Shilo Sanders – can do in August once the pads come on in training camp.

New, more talented players. Improved pass rush. More aggressive play from the secondary. More interceptions and contested catches. Improved pass rush with Reddick’s addition.

I asked Walker what the Bucs’ new front four looked like from his vantage point, and how dangerous Reddick, Diaby, Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea could be getting after the quarterback this year.

Walker just grinned ear to ear for a moment before answering.

“The smile says it all I guess,” Walker said. “Just watching those guys work every day, knowing who those guys are. It should be a fun year – that’s all I’ll say.”

FAB 2. Haason Reddick Makes A Strong First Impression

Bucs outside linebacker Haason Reddick doesn’t have a specific sack goal in mind as he enters his ninth year in the NFL – and his first season in Tampa Bay. But he wants to get double digits.

And the Bucs want him to reach double digits, too. That’s why the team signed Reddick, who has 59 career sacks in the regular season, including double-digit sack years from 2019-23.

According to outside linebackers coach Larry Foote, 30 sacks is the goal for the outside linebacker room this year, which is quite lofty considering it’s only happened once in Tampa Bay with Todd Bowles running the defense. And considering the unit only produced a total of 12.5 sacks last year, led by Yaya Diaby’s 4.5.

Bucs OLB Room Sack Total Under Todd Bowles

2024: 12.5 sacks
2023: 22 sacks
2022: 17 sacks
2021: 23 sacks
2020: 18.5 sacks
2019: 35 sacks

The year the OLB room hit 30 sacks was in 2019 when Shaq Barrett had a breakout season with 19.5 sacks, which set a franchise record and was also the most sacks in the NFL that year. Perhaps the only Bucs edge rusher capable of getting anywhere close to that number this year is Reddick, who posted a career-high 16 sacks in 2022 while helping the Eagles get to the Super Bowl.

Former Bucs OLBs Shaquil Barrett andJason Pierre-Paul and DT Ndamukong Suh – Photo by: USA Today

Speaking of the Super Bowl, one of the common denominators between the 2002 Bucs championship team and Tampa Bay’s most recent Super Bowl team in 2020 was the presence of an imported, proven pass-rushing threat. Simeon Rice, a free agent signee in 2001, had a Pro Bowl season with 15.5 sacks and helped the Bucs defeat the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Jason Pierre-Paul, who was acquired in a trade in 2018, had a Pro Bowl season with 9.5 sacks and helped Tampa Bay defeat Kansas City in Super Bowl LV.

Now the Bucs have Reddick.

If Tampa Bay can get 10-12 from him, 8-10 from Yaya Diaby and then another 10 from reserves like Chris Braswell, David Walker and Anthony Nelson, which seems doable, Foote’s goal of the outside ‘backers producing 30 sacks seems very reasonable.

“Sometimes, people do get it confused,” Reddick said. “Sometimes, your own goals can align with team goals, right? I think that’s the thing that’s most important – making sure that your own goals align with the same goals as the team, and as long as that happens, I think everything should be good. I don’t really have any individual goals other than… People are like, ‘Oh, how many sacks are you going to get this year?’ I don’t know. I just know that I come in here trying to play great football and dominate the man they put in front of me.”

While the pads weren’t on during the Bucs’ mandatory mini-camp, Reddick showed off his impressive burst and speed in getting to quarterback Baker Mayfield a few times. He made quite a first impression on Mayfield and Luke Goedeke, the man who was trying to block Reddick.

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: USA Today

“He’s a good pass rusher – he’s quick and he presents power as well,” Goedeke said. “He has good hand usage. He’s a great pass rusher – he’s shown that in the NFL. He’s proved himself already and we’re grateful to have him here.

“We’ve already battles in mini-camp. That only helps us as tackles, being able to go up against great competition like that. … Right now it’s tough – we’re in underwear trying to block someone. I would definitely say the defense is at a huge advantage right now. When the pads come on offensive lineman have much more to grab. Our jerseys are so loose (right now) that they can just push-pull the daylights out of us.”

Mayfield saw just how fast Reddick was off the ball in mini-camp.

“He’s pretty damn fast off the edge,” Mayfield said. “He’s a great player. I know everybody wants to make a big deal about when he’s going to be here and when he’s not, but he’s a good guy and there’s a reason he signed here. He wants to help us win and we’re happy to have him.”

FAB 3. Haason Reddick Has Begun Mentoring Bucs’ Young Pass Rushers

The threat of thunderstorms on Tuesday forced the Bucs inside to their indoor practice facility to start the team’s three-day mandatory mini-camp. Usually the defensive line is set up on the far side of the field away from the media viewing area when the team practices outdoors. So the fact that Tuesday’s practice started indoors was extremely fortunate for us, especially with the D-line drills set up right in front of the media.

While the team began the practice with a lengthy special teams period, defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey and outside linebackers Yaya Diaby and Haason Reddick worked with new defensive line coach Charlie Strong going through walk through pass rush simulations. They were joined by defensive tackles Logan Hall and Desmond Watson after a few minutes.

What was noticeable was just how much communication there was between Reddick and Diaby. Reddick was showing Diaby some things in terms of hand placement, and Diaby, who has had two years in Todd Bowles’ scheme, was showing Reddick where to line up in the defense.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby, DTs Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey and OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Reddick, a two-time Pro Bowler, told the media that he’s looking forward to mentoring the team’s young pass rushers in Tampa Bay.

“Yes I do, I want to see everybody win,” Reddick said. “I want to see everybody do great. I’ve been able to be in this league for a long time. I’ve been able to have great success here and I just want that for the young guys as well. I want everybody to get a chance to get their shine, everybody get a chance to become that guy – become ‘him’ for their team.

“That’s [Diaby] right now, and that could be some other young guys as well. I’m doing everything that I can. If I see anything – me and [Larry] Foote, we’re just doing the best that we can to try to teach these guys and like I said, continue to try to propel their career forward in the direction they want to go.”

Bowles has been pleased to see how Reddick has interacted with his new teammates, especially the up-and-coming edge rushers.

“He’s been great the last two days, talking to guys on the sideline about hand placement, length, what foot to use, when to go under, when not to go under,” Bowles said. “He has a lot of leadership qualities, as well. He’s been outstanding the last two days, helping the younger guys. It can only help Yaya, as far as his hand placement.”

Bucs OLBs Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

Reddick and Diaby have the chance to really form a strong 1-2 punch as bookend pass rushers this year. Diaby is thrilled to get the chance to stay on the right side of the line and work exclusively against left tackles, rushing from the quarterback’s blind side and getting into a rhythm instead of switching sides all the time, while Reddick prefers rushing from the left against right tackles.

Reddick has been very impressed with what he’s seen from Diaby in just a few days. And he appreciates Diaby, who has become more of a vocal leader this offseason, helping get him up to speed in Bowles’ defense.

“He’s getting into that – I think it’s his third year now – he’s transitioning into that stage where you can see he’s becoming a vet,” Reddick said. “You can see he’s starting to understand the game. To be honest, he’s been helping me out on a little bit of things as far as, ‘Look, you got this on this play, we got that on these,’ as far as the new installs. You can see that as young as he is, he’s transitioning into being a vet.

“He’s one of those guys that I was talking about, getting a workout in with a couple other young guys yesterday. He’s doing everything the right way. As long as he continues that, he’ll continue to progress and to go in the direction that he wants to go.”

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

If everything goes according to plan this season, the highly motivated Reddick wants to get back to being a double-digit sacker as he chases what could be a final big payday in 2026. And with the double-teams Reddick should draw with his reputation for getting to the quarterback, Diaby should benefit from a host of one-on-ones he’ll see on a regular basis, unlike last year where he was the marked man receiving chips and double teams.

The end result could be another dangerous duo on the edge for Bowles, the likes of which we haven’t seen in Tampa Bay since Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett were still in their prime.

FAB 4. SirVocea Dennis Was Probably The MVP Of Bucs’ Offseason

A lot of Bucs fans were fretting over the fact that Tampa Bay didn’t draft an inside linebacker this year, but the team certainly wasn’t. It turns out that the heavy praised heaped on third-year linebacker SirVocea Dennis was not just lip service by head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht.

Dennis proved to be worthy of such praise this offseason by making a ton of splash plays in the OTAs and mini-camp, including reading and reacting to an off-tackle run play by Bucky Irving and instantly covering 5-8 yards to stop Irving before he could hit the hole.

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Veteran inside linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. was incredibly impressed by Dennis, whom he lined up next to for all three weeks while 35-year old Lavonte David sat out of OTAs and the mandatory mini-camp to rest his body for training camp.

“He’ll be a great player in this league for a very long time,” Walker said. “We’ve been talking about it since I met him. First day of OTAs, made one of the best plays I’ve ever seen a linebacker make [picking off Baker Mayfield], including Lavonte David – don’t tell him I said that (laughs)!

“But man, he’s special. He’s special, man. Very cerebral and knows the game very well. Can really do everything on the field as a pass dropper, a blitzer and a run defender. So I’m excited to see him. I told him, just as much as you can – football is 100% injury rate – but as much as you can, stay healthy. He’ll put himself in a great position by the end of this year.”

Dennis could – and should be – the Bucs’ breakout player on defense this offseason.

FAB 5. I Doubt Chris Godwin Jr. Plays In Bucs’ Season Opener

I get asked all the time if I believe wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. will be able to play in Tampa Bay’s season opener at Atlanta on September 7. I was once optimistic about that happening, given how aggressively Godwin has attacked rehab before, especially after his major knee injury at the end of the 2021 season.

But now that Godwin is 29, and nine years of NFL football has taken its toll on his body, I don’t believe as strongly in Godwin being able to return for the Falcons game in Week 1.

The reason?

Godwin has yet to take his rehab to the practice field – at least not with the media present to view his progress from his late-season ankle surgery. It’s not uncommon to see players that are returning to action from injury work out with the trainers on their own on a different practice field away from the team during practice.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This offseason we saw left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who is recovering from a right knee injury, do that during the mandatory mini-camp, and we saw rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison do that during the rookie mini-camp.

We haven’t seen Godwin do anything outside of come out for the end of practice and watch from the sidelines. No running, no jogging and certainly no cutting or route-running.

Just walking.

There are less than 90 days between now and when the Bucs take on the Falcons in Atlanta in Week 1 and there are less than 40 days until the start of training camp. I can’t remember if Godwin was doing any jogging or running four years ago during the mini-camp coming off his torn ACL. But it seems like he’s not as far along with this rehab stint as he was back then.

Maybe I’m wrong.

Time will tell.

“He’s rehabbing inside right now – doing everything inside,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said. “When the trainers tell me he’s ready to go outside, we’ll take a look at him outside.”

The Bucs aren’t worried about Godwin missing the first week of the season – not with the emergence of rookie Emeka Egbuka, who has drawn rave reviews for filling in for Godwin as the slot receiver.

And not with Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan at Baker Mayfield’s disposal, not to mention the Bucs’ potent ground game led by Bucky Irving.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay has had to wait until after the first quarter of the season to see Calijah Kancey join the party in each of his last two years due to unfortunate calf injuries. But Kancey’s return has been worth the wait as he’s come on like gangbusters each time as a dangerous pass rusher.

There’s no sense in rushing Godwin’s return, especially after he injured his hamstring in the 2022 season opener at Dallas while returning from his ACL surgery. That year Godwin missed most of training camp and then was out for the next game at New Orleans in Week 2 because his body wasn’t truly in optimum game shape.

I believe that the team is taking its time with Godwin this time around, and that when he’s fully returned to health it too will be worth the wait.