After a massive wave of excited anxiety amongst Bucs fans this summer, the wait is finally over. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ veterans and rookies have now reported to camp, with official camp practices to begin today at AdventHealth Training Center.
90 of 91 players reported on Monday and Tuesday, with a notable exception being veteran Randy Gregory, who was subsequently placed on the reserve/did not report list as of Tuesday afternoon.
Bucs’ fans have alot to monitor entering camp, such as how the Bucs offense will respond to new offensive coordinator Liam Coen as well as what Coen’s playbook will look like. Let’s take a look at what we might expect from Coen’s new look Bucs offense.
First, let’s not bury the lead. Coen is a Sean Mcvay disciple, so rest easy knowing he will be as current as a coach can be on modern concepts, innovative ideas, and will very much seek to implement sneaky formations and playcalls to confuse defenses all over the league. He likely won’t look to completely reinvent the wheel, as his offensive scheme is similar to former OC Dave Canales, but it will certainly be more modernized under Coen.
Baker Mayfield is the Bucs QB1 after a hard fought training camp battle
pic.twitter.com/35SI7Juggp
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) August 22, 2023
Coen came from the University of Kentucky, where the Wildcats were Top 25 nationally on play-action percentage as well as Top 20 in play-action efficiency going all the way back to when Will Levis was their QB1 in 2021. Having a high percentage of success in play-action could be a game changer for Baker Mayfield, who has worked with Coen before, for 5 weeks during his stint with the Rams. Sean McVay, Rams coach and widely known as an offensive savant, has spoken extremely highly of Coen, which is always a good endorsement to have.
Todd Bowles gives 6+ minute speech ahead of Buccaneers training camp beginning on Wednesday morning. #Bucs pic.twitter.com/HgvWLx1MmY
— BucsGameday (@BucsGameday) July 24, 2024
Lastly, and maybe most critical, will be Coen’s ability to improve the Buccaneers running game. In 2023, the Buccaneers were dead last in the NFL in rushing yards and bottom 10 in the league in attempts. That will not do. While the Bucs shocked alot of people making it to within a couple plays of making the NFC Championship in 2023, common wisdom is that to win in January, you must bring a solid running game. Going on the road in the Playoffs for Tampa will be mandatory, and while the Bucs might be able to lean on their passing game in the warmth of Florida, a road game in a snowy Philadelphia or a rainy San Francisco is a guaranteed beat down without a competent running game.
For Todd Bowles defense, I would expect high energy and a big play mentality in the secondary, which added Bryce Hall from the Jets as well as safety Jordan Whitehead, who played for the Bucs from 2018 to 2021. The Bucs could emerge as one of the most physical secondaries with the knack for being ball hawkers as well.
The addition of veteran OLB Randy Gregory brought some excitement as well as some anxiety along with it. Though he has the potential to make big plays at the line of scrimmage and has always been a top tier run defender, there are already swirling rumors that the locker room at large aren’t exactly his biggest fans. Gregory notably didn’t show for camp yesterday, prompting the team to list him on the reserve/did not report list, but if Gregory stays on in the Bay, I wouldn’t expect much of a tolerance from Todd Bowles for nonsense.
The defensive line is returning and providing they stay healthy, will be competitive, especially within the NFC South that the Buccaneers have owned for three consecutive seasons.
#Bucs DE Randy Gregory did not report to training camp today and the team is placing him on the reserve/did not report list.
Gregory also did not participate in voluntary offseason workouts or attend the team's mandatory three-day minicamp in June. pic.twitter.com/zj0gXn6FOL
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 23, 2024
We will keep you informed on all the developments during and after training camp as they happen.
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