Day 1 of Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp is in the books and there’s plenty to run down when it comes to main takeaways.

So, let’s not waste any time and break it all down.

1. Tristan Wirfs tweaks his hamstring before the first training camp practice

The biggest goal of any NFL team during training camp is to come out as healthy as possible. Unfortunately for the Bucs, they experienced an injury scare with one of their best players before the first day even started. According to coach Todd Bowles, left tackle Tristan Wirfs tweaked his hamstring during conditioning tests on Tuesday and was unable to practice on Wednesday. The timetable for his return is still unclear, and Bowles said he would know more later on Wednesday.

If Wirfs misses an extended period of time, this will be the second straight offseason in which he has missed a generous portion of training camp. Regardless, this opens the door for both Justin Skule and Ben Chukwuma to show what they can do at the left tackle position.

It’s easy to see why this tops this list of Buccaneers training camp takeaways, as Wirfs is arguably the best player on the team.

2. Rueben Bain Jr. has a very good day

The offseason flipped on its head when Tampa Bay drafted defensive end Reuben Bain Jr. at No. 15 overall. Sure, the Buccaneers made some good moves in free agency, but it was the selection of Bain Jr. that really moved the needle this offseason. He had a strong minicamp and OTA session, and the next step was extending that into training camp.

While the team is still not in pads, it didn’t matter. Bain Jr. had a very good first day per reports, making a strong tackle on tight end Cade Otton in coverage and recording a would-be sack on quarterback Baker Mayfield. That’s exactly what you want to see from this guy on Day 1.

We’ll continue to monitor his progress and see if he can consistently stack these kinds of practices together.

Nearing the end of practice, a big play for the defense. A would-be sack for Rueben Bain Jr. – play continues – and Zyon McCollum steps in front of a Baker Mayfield pass intended for Emeka Egbuka for the INT.

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) July 29, 2026

3. Vita Vea also hurts himself and Todd Bowles makes it sound like he’d be practicing otherwise

This is where things get a little weird. It was expected that Vea would hold-in during Buccaneers training camp after his trade request, and that seemed to be the case on Wednesday.

But Bowles told reporters that Vea also tweaked something during Tuesday’s conditioning drills. Instead of a hamstring like Wirfs, it was his back.

That apparently held him out of practice on Wednesday, as well. Bowles was also asked if the Bucs had held any discussions about trading Vea, and he said no. Maybe I’m being unfair, but it seems like Bowles is framing this as though Vea would have been practicing Wednesday had he not tweaked his back on Tuesday. Time will tell on this one, but maybe we’ll see Vea practicing soon.

4. Benjamin Morrison was limited in practice

A lot of people were wondering if cornerback Benjamin Morrison would be available on Day 1 of Buccaneers training camp after suffering a hamstring injury that kept him out of mandatory minicamp.

He was there, albeit in limited fashion. While that’s better than the worst-case scenario, we’re going to have to wait and see when it comes to whether he can stay healthy, how long he can stay healthy, and how impactful he can be once he is fully available. It’s going to be a crucial season for Morrison, and that leads perfectly into the next point.

5. Buccaneers are looking to add another cornerback (they added a safety)

Reserve corner Chase Lucas started training camp on PUP. He can be activated at any point, but right now he is not practicing and still counting against the Bucs’ 90-man roster. Combine that with Morrison’s limitations and it’s clear Tampa Bay needs reinforcements.

The Buccaneers worked out a few guys on Wednesday according to Bowles, and he is hoping they can add one. You could easily argue the Bucs should have done this a long time ago. The best option on the market was Rasul Douglas, who was snatched up a few weeks ago by the Washington Commanders.

Quick update: The Buccaneers signed safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, which makes sense due to JJ Roberts not practicing, but that doesn’t change the fact they still need help at corner.

Regardless, the market is dwindling with each passing day. The best available option at this point is nickelback Kenny Moore. Jacob Parrish is training at both outside and inside corner, but Moore could play inside and allow Parrish to focus on the outside. That way, if Morrison does get hurt for an extended period of time, Parrish can stay on the outside and Moore can handle the inside. Either way, I’d expect the Bucs to add a corner, at some point.

6. Players are buying what Zac Robinson is selling

The Buccaneers have gone through a lot at offensive coordinator since Bowles took over in 2022. Byron Leftwich was fired after Year 1, then Dave Canales and Liam Cohen accepted head coaching positions. Then they had to fire Josh Grizzard after his first year.

Now they’re turning to Zach Robinson, who is in the Liam Cohen mold.

It’s important that things get off on the right foot and that players buy into the system. That’s exactly what’s happening so far. Bowles talked about it after the first practice, noting how players are recognizing and understanding what Robinson is selling.

“I mean, it’s been good ever since Zac got here,” Bucky Irving said after the first practice. “I mean, you see what he’s (done) in Atlanta. He gets his playmakers the ball in the best possible ways and the things that they are good at. So we are just taking it day by day and letting him lead us in the right direction.”

“He’s very detailed and he’s very precise on the things he likes to do,” Bowles told reporters after practice. “And offensively, you can see the guys and hear them talking about it. It’s the most precise from a formation standpoint that they said they’ve had since they’ve been here.”

The Buccaneers need the offense to be a top-12 unit at worst in 2026, and so far it sounds like things are headed in the right direction.

7. Bucky Irving is a “full go”

Yours truly had a hunch that running back Bucky Irving would get eased into training camp. But Bowles completely shut that down when told reporters the Buccaneers aren’t easing Irving into training camp, which is one of the biggest takeaways. Irving feels great, he’s going at full speed, and he’s a full go, per Bowles’ own words. They’re not going to be easing him into anything.

That immediately points to the distribution between Irving and Kenneth Gainwell from the start of training camp. It’s going to be fun to see how all of that shakes out.

8. Todd Bowles has made changes to the defense

JoeBucsFan’s Ira Kaufman asked, since there were potentially five or six new starters on this defense, if the Buccaneers had made changes. Bowles didn’t run from the question whatsoever, and said they’ve made quite a few. He’s not going to spill the beans on specifics, but it is encouraging to see Bowles adapting.

“We’ve made quite a few changes. We’ve made quite a few,” said Bowles. “I mean, the fact that if you don’t play well, you’ve made quite a few. If you get new people, you make quite a few, and we’ve made quite a few changes that obviously you can’t discuss them. But you know, we’re building towards that, and I like where we are.”

To his credit, this is what he’s done his entire career as Buccaneers head coach. As soon as the Byron Leftwich debacle ended, he went outside the box and away from the Bruce Arians offense. He found Canales, who was the complete opposite of what Leftwich was doing at the time. He wanted to keep that going, to an extent, with Cohen.

Josh Grizzard was more of a move of familiarity, but then even last year, Bowles hired Zach Beistline to help him with the analytics side, game situational management, and all that comes with it.

It’s good to see Bowles continue to adapt. That’s what all good head coaches do. We’ll see if it pays off during the regular season.