Emeka Egbuka is the truth, Josh Grizzard is 'smooth', a sneaky UDFA to watch, and more stuff we learned about the Bucs offense before pads come on
Sunday's practice marked the fourth installment for Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp and the next step is putting the pads on Monday.Meaning, things are about to get real.But before that happens, let's talk about what we've learned about the Bucs offense through the non-padded portion of training camp and how that can bleed over into […]
Sunday's practice marked the fourth installment for Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp and the next step is putting the pads on Monday.
Meaning, things are about to get real.
But before that happens, let's talk about what we've learned about the Bucs offense through the non-padded portion of training camp and how that can bleed over into the rest of camp and the preseason.
What we've learned about the Bucs offense through the first four training camp practices
1. The Bucs had to bring in extra offensive line depth and Elijah Klein is getting some looks on the outside
The depth at tackle was already shaky enough heading into camp before tackle Silas Dzansi was placed on PUP and Garret Greenfield retired. Then, the interior offensive line depth took a hit when guard Sua Opeta was placed on PUP, as well.
That left the Bucs in near-dire straits when it comes to their offensive line depth. Therefore, the team signed veteran guard Michael Jordan and former 2024 undrafted free agent tackle Tyler McLellan (they waived Dzansi in the process). The former has appeared in 67 games over the course of his career with 40 starts – including 11 last year. McLellan spent the entirety of his rookie year on IR and has yet to play an NFL snap.
It remains to be seen how these two are used. Jordan has played guard his entire career, but has the size at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds to kick out to tackle. He also has 34-1/4" arms, which is enough length.
McLellan will line up tackle, but with what team? Charlie Heck is the frontrunner and then Ben Chukwuma is behind him. How quickly can they learn the playbook to where they can get serviceable reps? Fortunately, the pads come on Monday, so we'll get a real, early look at what these guys can do and how the Bucs plan on using them.
There's also second-year OL Elijah Klein to throw into the mix, apparently. Per reports, he practiced at right tackle on Days 2 and 3 before moving back inside on Day 4, so we'll see how the Bucs continue to move him around. If he can show some ability on the outside then he'll be in a spot where he can play guard, center, or right tackle if needed. That's obviously helpful, especially when navigating the injuries Tampa Bay is dealing with.
2. Josh Grizzard doesn't look like a first-year offensive coordinator
The Bucs offense is primed for another huge year, even with the injuries to Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin. The biggest non-player-centric question is how new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard carries over now that Liam Coen has moved on to Jacksonville.
Grizzard has never been an OC, nor has he called plays at any level of football. Therefore, it's a legitimate curiosity when it comes to his effectiveness as a play caller.
Heck had a very intriguing comment when asked about Grizzard and while it won't completely vacate them, it should help ease any worries Bucs fans about whether or not he can do the job.
"He doesn't seem like a new coach to me," Bucs tackle Charlie Heck told reporters after the second training camp practice. "He seems like he's dialed-in as an experienced offense coordinator. So I mean, (he looks) smooth to me."
"‘Grizz’ is very bright. He has a plan on his own," said Bowles. "He wants to understand every situation of the ball game. You get these out of the way with the call-it periods and what he can and can’t do. We continue to talk ball and what he sees and what he might see in the red zone and the field, when he gets too much pressure from one way or the other. . . He has a plan based off of all of that. He’s a very bright guy. He understands it very well."
We won't know how good Grizzard is until the regular season starts, but Heck's comments are awfully encouraging, especially when considering this is first go-around with Grizzard, in any capacity.
3. Emeka Egbuka has hit the ground running and Tez Johnson has impressed as well
It's been positive reviews for Egbuka since he was drafted, but it's all coming to fruition at the start of training camp. The first-round rookie has impressed with his ability to make plays and his impressive route running has not only stood out, it's been a consistent theme with him these last four practices.
"Extremely well. I mean, [on] a day like today where Mike stopped practicing, you can put Emeka anywhere," Baker Mayfield told reporters when asked about Egbuka's development and how it's helping the Bucs. "It really is the truth. It's fun to be able to have a guy that's that intelligent, that doesn't act like a rookie, his head's not spinning.
"[And] he's able to do it and handle it the right way. It raises the standard for everybody else when you have a rookie coming in [and] learning the offense for the first time. It pushes everybody else around him. So it's great to have somebody like that."
"Emeka looked really sharp today running routes," Bowles told reporters after the third practice. "It wasn’t even so much the catches – he was crisp in his route running, coming out of breaks. He’s really starting to settle down and blend in. He’s a very smart guy."
With Godwin on PUP and a non-guaranteed chance of playing Week 1, this is a big development for the Bucs. There wasn't much doubt surrounding how quickly Egbuka would make an impact, but it's still very encouraging to see the situation rounding out the way it has.
We'll see if he can carry the momentum over when he puts on pads for the first time in his NFL career, but based on what we've seen so far, the odds of that happening are pretty good.
Tez Johnson has been making plays in the passing game so far, too. He's also been getting a lot of looks in the punt return game, which isn't a surprise. Bowles talked about how he's picked up the playbook and his intelligence, which is key for a rookie. In all, the seventh-rounder is carving a path toward the 53.
4. Josh Williams is a "sneaky" name to watch out for these next few weeks
From top to bottom, the Buccaneers have one of the NFL's best running back rooms. If not the best. The trio of Bucky Williams, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker are as good as it gets. All three can run and catch the ball and each one has their own explosive element that allows them to break off big plays from time-to-time.
That room could get even stronger in 2025 due to undrafted rookie free agent Josh Williams' presence.
"I think a sneaky one is Josh Williams, he does not say a word. I think he might be mute, but he does all the right things," Mayfield told reporters when asked who could make an early impact in 2025. "Explosive and he was fun to watch in college. So, I think once we get the pads on, he is going to be really fun to watch."
This is a win-win for the Bucs, potentially. If Williams can't make the 53, the Bucs still have an excellent RB room. If he does, that means he impressed enough throughout camp and the preseason to where he was worthy of a spot and that makes the room even better.
"Josh is a great guy. He's willing to learn, he's willing to learn, he's always asking questions to get better," Bucky Irving told reporters. "[An] explosive [running] back, can make you miss on the second level. Being able to add that in our [running back] room is fantastic."
Boom.
5. It's getting easier for Graham Barton
The Bucs center had some ups-and-downs in Year 1, but definitely showcased the potential that made him the 19th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
As we all know, that's in the past and it's all about improving and moving forward. If Barton can reach his ceiling he can easily become a top-5 center in the NFL, which would do wonders for an already-potent Bucs offense.
So far, that's what's happening.
"Obviously, being a rookie, having to make calls at center is an extremely tough job," Bowles told reporters on Day 4. "He did a great job at it last year, but going into Year 2, he kind of knows some things right off the bat, and it comes easy to him, and he loves to work to get better. And one thing about Graham, he loves to finish."
"You could see coming into minicamp and OTAs everyone on the offense is confident with Graham in there as center," Bucs guard Cody Mauch told reporters on Day 1. "No one is second guessing anything, Graham is setting the points, Graham is making the mic calls and no one is second guessing anything. We all have the most trust in him and I think he's really starting to feel that trust and [he's] playing [more confidently] as well."
When Wirfs gets back, the Bucs offensive line will have one of the NFL's stoutest quintets up front. Barton's improvement can make it a top-5 unit at that point and it will be interesting to see if the OL can live up to the lofty expectations in 2025.
Injury updates
Wirfs, Godwin, Sua Opeta, and Michael Pratt are still on PUP. Running back D.J. Williams and wide receiver Kam Johnson were held out of Sunday's practice, as was tight end Cade Otton. It's unclear why they were held out, but a vet rest day is the suspicion regarding the latter.
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