Bucs TE Payne Durham – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Pewter Report’s Camp Diary series, a popular training camp exclusive feature on PewterReport.com, returns in 2025. We are excited to have two very intriguing players to profile in veteran tight end Payne Durham and rookie defensive lineman Elijah Roberts due to the unfortunate season-ending injury to outside linebacker David Walker, the Bucs’ fourth-round pick.
Durham is the Bucs’ backup tight end behind Cade Otton and serves primarily as a blocker in 12 personnel (two-tight end sets). He scored his first two NFL touchdowns at the end of the 2024 season and enters his third year in Tampa Bay trying to fend off Devin Culp for the TE2 duties. Payne has quite a personality, and Pewter Report readers will love getting to know one of the hidden gems in the Bucs locker room.
Roberts comes to Tampa Bay after a stellar two-year career at SMU where he was one of the nation’s top pass rushers in college football. Now Roberts is transitioning from an edge rusher for the Mustangs to a defensive tackle for the Buccaneers. Get to know Roberts, who will get plenty of playing time in his first preseason – and could pile up the sacks as a result.
Look for Durham’s and Roberts’ Camp Diary installments each week throughout training camp and the preseason.
Payne Durham Camp Diary 1: I Want To Become A Dominating Blocker
Payne Durham Camp Diary 2: Super Cool Moment To Score My First TD
Payne Durham Camp Diary
Payne Durham was one of the best receiving tight ends in college football, catching 21 touchdowns in four seasons at Purdue, including eight his final year with the Boilermakers in 2022. The Bucs selected Durham in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and he’s beaten out Ko Kieft for the TE2 job behind starter Cade Otton. While primarily a blocking tight end, Durham scored his first two NFL touchdowns in Week 17 against Carolina and in Week 18 versus New Orleans.
Coverage Is 100% Tighter From Our LBs, DBs
By Payne Durham as told to Scott Reynolds
It was fun to see the defense play like that on Saturday night in the win over Tennessee. The coverage is 100% tighter from our linebackers and DBs this year. I see that 100% in practice and you saw it in the game. Those guys have done such a great job from Antoine Winfield Jr. all the way down.
Everyone is just so good and they’ve worked so hard during the offseason. It’s just fun to see it all come to fruition. What did we have – three picks, including a pick-six? That was a super cool moment for those guys. They work so hard.
I see Zyon McCollum before practice works on his hands for God knows how long doing what he does and visualizing it. In practice, it has been noticeably different trying to get open. They are playing really well.
Bucs ILB Nick Jackson – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R
It was sweet seeing Nick Jackson get a sack and a pick for us. First of all, what an awesome human. He’s quiet and keeps to himself, but he’s just a good dude. So when you get that and mix in a good football player, that’s normally when special stuff happens. He works his tail off all the time.
I was on the sideline really cheering for him. That was great to see. Going against him, it’s almost like he’s been in the NFL for a while. He seems to be in the right position all the time. He’s always in my way – and in the tight ends’ way. Really smart dude.
Payne Durham: “We Won’t Start Fights … But We’ll Finish ‘Em”
The fight with the Titans last week in the joint practice wasn’t something we wanted to be doing. We wanted to work on football. Baker Mayfield said it best. We won’t start fights – we won’t be dumb and put ourselves in that situation – but we’ll finish ‘em. When someone grabs our starting running back and I’m right there, I’m going to do something about it.
Other than that, I thought the practice was good from a physical standpoint. I thought we executed really well. The stuff after the play, that’s going to happen when it’s hot like that in a joint practice with pads on. I can only speak for the offensive side of the ball, but I thought we executed well and hit some runs on them. We were matching their physicality and it’s always fun to hit someone else.
Josh Grizzard, Owen Wright Did A Super Job
The sky was opening up in pregame on Saturday night. It was pouring and I thought it might rain the whole night. Luckily I’ve never been involved in a lightning delay here or even really a rain game before. It was raining pretty hard for a while, and I was wondering if I should take my gloves off, but it stopped. It reminded me of the Panthers game my rookie year where it rained a bit in the first quarter but then it stopped. That’s Florida, though.
We ran the ball against the Titans. What we did finish with, 178 yards on the ground? I kept telling Grizz (Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard), “Man, we’re just staying in 12 personnel (two tight end set), aren’t we? Maybe we’re a 12 team!” (Laughs)
Those guys were running the ball super hard and carrying their pads super tough. Our scheme was working and the gap stuff was hitting. I think everyone was blocking and doing their job. It was cool to see because that’s something we’ve been working on. And then for it to happen at the end of the game, I think those guys up front kind of took the will away from the other team. It was fun to watch the running backs get out in space and do their thing.
Bucs OC Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Owen Wright has come in and done a super job. He runs really hard. He pass pros really well. He steps up and puts his face in there. He’s fun to watch. He was getting loose and I think it was the first time I’ve seen him smile or even talk, which was cool to see.
I started to do some trivia with the guys, asking them where Owen went to college, which was William & Mary. I pride myself in knowing where my teammates went to college. He was out there balling and having fun, and he just got here. For him to pick it up that quick and get in the groove of things and get the timing down was really impressive. Really happy for him and the job he did for us.
Grizz was super calm and super collected. He was calling out the right stuff and it was working. He didn’t change anything from who he is as a play-caller. Really cool to see. I think next week or the week after he’ll be up in the box just to see how it is and where he likes it better. But in my time here the play-caller has always been on the sidelines. I like it because when plays don’t work I can yell at him, and lobby for 12 personnel! No, he did a great job.
Bring On The Steelers
Super excited to go to Pittsburgh. Any competition is good competition, and the Steelers play the game the right way. They are tough, hard-nosed and gritty. It will be a good measuring stick for us to go up there and practice with them on Thursday and then play them on Saturday night.
Bucs TE Payne Durham – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Very excited for this challenge. I know a bunch of guys on the Steelers, so that’s always the fun part of joint practices. I went to school with Corey Trice, and the Hayward brothers went to my high school. I know the two Wisconsin defensive linemen – Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig – on the defensive side of the ball which is super fun. I’m excited to go up there and see those guys – and of course beat them.
Follow Payne Durham On X: @pdurham22
Follow Payne Durham On Instagram: @payne_durham