Vita Vea’s big opportunity and Cam Ward’s tough test anchor 3 matchups to watch on defense during Bucs-Titans joint practice
We breakdown the three matchups to watch on defense when the Bucs host the Titans for a joint practice session.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to host the Tennessee Titans for a joint practice session and even though the Titans are coming off a year in which they earned the No. 1 overall pick, they’ve made boosted the depth chart by making several notable additions over the last few months.
It’s a big reason why Thursday’s joint practice session is more intriguing than it seems on the surface. No one really knows what the Titans will look like in 2025 – they’re almost a brand new team.
Therefore, A to Z Nashville’s Easton Freeze and myself figured it’d be a good idea to get together and break down some of the main matchups to watch ahead of the Bucs-Titans joint practice.
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Cam Ward’s first NFL test is a Todd Bowles defense of all things
Evan: Yea, how about that? Ward’s first go against a defense that doesn’t consist of his own teammates is a Todd Bowles defense.
But hey, this is the NFL and it’ll be a welcomed challenge.
So far, Ward has had a solid camp. However, as Easton recently pointed out, the rookie quarterback got pretty flustered during a recent practice that was designed to, well, fluster him. And Bucs fans will certainly notice one nugget in the observation:
No, what I’m talking about is getting tilted. Letting your frustration get to you and starting to press is what I saw from Ward for the first time Sunday. The moment it become apparent was during the long “bring it or bluff it” period. This was something like twelve consecutive plays of Todd Bowles-esque zero blitz looks on third and long, designed to put the offensive in maximum conflict.
Ward is going to see a lot more than a dozen of these plays on Thursday. The Bucs defense has been humming throughout camp, as well. How Ward handles all the different looks and how he responds to the outcome is easily the top storyline heading into joint practice.
Easton: At least Cam’s first experience with this brand of ridiculous defensive chaos (complimentary) won’t be in Tampa. Titans DC Dennard Wilson cut his teeth under Bowles, so they’ve thrown a lot of this genre of D his way already. Sunday’s practice certainly was a low point, and if they play war games in practice similar to that one, I’m very interested to see how it goes for the rookie. Head Coach Brian Callahan told us Wednesday morning that he’s pleased with the growth and response from Cam in the days since Sunday’s low point.
What I’m more interested in seeing this week for Cam, though, is how he looks in neutral situations. Not every practice is going to be on hard mode for the offense, even though it’s largely been that way in Tennessee. At the very least, Saturday’s preseason game won’t be. There are, in fact, 1st and 2nd downs in “real” football games! So how he fares when the chips aren’t stacked against him will be telling. We just haven’t gotten to see a lot of that yet in camp.
Will it be the end-all-be-all? No. I’m old enough to remember CJ Stroud’s very shaky first preseason start, or Ja’Marr Chase forgetting how to catch the ball in training camp. Nothing is everything this time of year. But he has to start somewhere, and this week in Tampa is his first big step-up as we approach September.
The Bucs’ ascending secondary takes on a Titans receiver room that has a core, but is still figuring things out
Evan: As mentioned above, the Bucs defense has been strong as a whole throughout camp. When placing the topic on a more micro level, the secondary is one of the biggest talking points on both sides of the ball.
Just about everyone is making plays and sticking in coverage, from starters like Zyon McCollum to undrafted rookies like J.J. Roberts. The Bucs are also cross-training a lot of guys at multiple positions and as we know, the entire secondary has been meeting in the same room all offseason. Therefore, it makes sense why the group has been flying around and turning heads.
“I just think all the defensive backs as a whole, they are doing a really, really good job at disguising coverages,” Baker Mayfield told reporters on the second day of training camp. “And the young guys you can tell they are bringing them up to speed pretty quick on how to hide stuff and show it late. So, they are doing a good job breaking on passes, making plays, and so on. I mean, we have a lot of depth back there. . . those guys just mess with your head.”
The Titans’ receiving room has a vision, but it’s still putting it altogether. This will be a good chance for the Bucs secondary to keep the ball rolling by keeping Calvin Ridley and Co. under wraps.
Easton: Calvin Ridley is easily the best receiver the Titans have today, and is the guy I’m least interested in seeing this week in Tampa. He’s going to do his thing.
What about these rookie pass catchers? WRs Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, as well as TE Gunnar Helm, have all been impressive this summer. But the Titans secondary has big question marks of its own. So to see them in pads, competing with another team, should be pretty telling. If these guys are going to be immediate impacts this year—which I think they can be—they’ll need to show flashes of that this week.
Bucs’ front seven looks to get the better of the Titans’ much-improved offensive line
Evan: The Bucs defensive line accounted for a little more than half of the defense’s total sack production last year and it has a chance to be even better in 2025. The Titans have former first-round pick Peter Skorosnki and longtime veteran/free agent acquisition Kevin Zeitler at guard, but starting center Lloyd Cushenberry is still on the PUP list.
While Corey Levin is a good backup, how Vita Vea and Co. fare will be a solid first indicator as to just how good the defensive line can be.
When it comes to the outside pass rush, the Bucs really need Yaya Diaby and Haason Reddick to step up, especially after David Walker was lost for the season. One of the more interesting developments of camp has been Chris Braswell’s progress. He’s gotten off to a good start – can he keep it up against J.C. Latham and newcomer Dan Moore Jr.? The Titans invested a top-10 pick in Latham last year and gave Moore Jr. big money to be the starting left tackle. How they hold up against the Bucs’ EDGE room is definitely something monitor simply due to the fact the Bucs need those guys to really make an impact this year.
Easton: Aside from the obvious with Cam Ward, there’s no element of this Titans team that gives me more optimism for the future than this offensive line. The Titans have been toiling in the desert for three years after some disastrous personnel decisions put this OL at the very bottom of the league. But Skoronski and Latham really look like a pair of young studs who will lead the charge back to relevance.
Kevin Zeitler has been good since I was in middle school. And Dan Moore is, like him or not, the most average tackle in the league. The past three Titans teams would do unspeakable things for average at both tackle spots. He’s a big upgrade. Cushenberry’s return from his Achilles repair is going to take some patience, but Levin is a fine replacement. Will Vita Vea probably eat his lunch this week? Uh, yea. But that’s what Vea does to everybody.
This is the position I’ll be locked-in on most this week. This is their first big test, and they need to pass for me to maintain my optimism.
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