Bucs Camp Insider 8-7: Deven Thompkins Steals The Show

Speaking of Evans, the veteran receiver had another solid day catching everything thrown his way. During red zone drills Evans made a nice catch in the back right corner of the end zone while matched up against cornerback Carlton Davis III. Unfortunately, Evans was not able to get both of his feet in bounds in time and the pass went incomplete. Showing his high expectations for himself, Evans was visibly frustrated that he could not convert the play.

Things Get Chippy

Linebacker Devin White initiated a scrum with a couple of offensive linemen early in practice when he continued contact with offensive tackle Luke Goedeke after a whistle. Goedeke didn’t take kindly to the extracurricular activity and neither did fellow offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs who came to his linemate’s aid. Goedeke and White starting shoving each other. Then Wirfs came to Goedeke’s aid and got into a shoving match with White before the two were quickly separated.

Devin White Breaks His Silence With The Media

After practice, Devin White spoke to the media for the first time since holding out of the offseason due to a contract dispute. The Bucs denied his trade request and insisted he play on his fifth-year option this year, hoping he becomes a more consistent player before deciding whether or not to make him one of the highest-paid linebackers in the league. White is seeking a contract that will pay him close to $20 million per year.

“I just wanted to be a guy here for a long time,” White said. “After sitting down with Coach Bowles and Jason Licht, just understanding their plan for me, and what they’ve got in play with them guys and seeing how I can be better … moving forward I think we all came up with a good agreement. That’s why I’m here, just focusing on this season.”

White was asked if he had any regret over asking to be traded this offseason.

“As far as regret, I don’t think there’s any regret,” White said. “I don’t think it’s just about being paid. It’s about being a guy who was drafted here and doing a lot for this program. I just want to be a long-term guy. I want to be a guy like Lavonte. He’s been here forever. I want to be that next guy. They didn’t make it happen when I wanted it to [happen]. That’s why I kind of got a little selfish. Knowing that I still had the fifth-year option and that was the thing in play … I guess early on  you don’t realize – hey, I’m at the end of my contract. Let’s get it in – lock me in.

“I know I feel comfortable here. I love the coaching staff here. I love the teammates and even the fans – the ones that went against me and the ones still with me. It’s all love. At the end of the day, I thought that was best for me. But at the end of the day I’m still here. I came back with a positive mindset. I’m locked in.”

Bucs Defense Was In Control

For the majority of practice it looked like the defense was dictating tempo, especially in the 9-on-7 run period and that carried over into 11-on-11s.. Multiple front-seven players had standout days in run defense including linebackers J.J. Russell and K.J. Britt, along with defensive linemen Will Gholston and Vita Vea. Vea and Britt also registered would-be sacks in 11-on-11’s, as did Antoine Winfield Jr. on a safety blitz.

Couple of Heady Plays

Two heady plays stood out during practice. One for each side of the ball. The first happened on defense when safety Kedrick Whitehead Jr. refused to give up on a play as he trailed tight end Ko Kieft on a crossing route from right to left. Quarterback Kyle Trask attempted to hit Kieft, but the second-year tight end had to dive for the pass and ultimately bobbled the catch allowing Whitehead to dive and secure an interception. While the pick technically goes into Trask’s ledger, he wasn’t to blame for turnover.

The second play belonged to tight end Cade Otton. After allowing a pass from Trask intended for him to bounce off his hands, Otton quickly decided to stay with the play and slammed into safety Nolan Turner, who was in the process of corralling the deflection for an interception. Turner had both hands on the ball but before he secured the catch Otton’s quick decision to blast the second-year safety saved the offense from a turnover.

Bucs Practice Observations

• Rookie wide receiver Trey Palmer had a couple of rough reps. The first was during punt returns when he initially bobbled the punt before failing to move up-field after securing the ball and losing a few yards trying to move left-to-right. He then had a couple of drops in practice, one of which was in the end zone on a pass that was slightly behind him. Palmer touched the ball and it almost went into the hands of cornerback Jamel Dean, but he couldn’t corral the interception.

Palmer then dropped a short pass in another 11-on-11 session and punished himself with push-ups on the sideline afterwards. The rookie from Nebraska seems to be a lock for the 53-man roster, but what was once believed to be the WR4 spot now seems like WR5 or WR6 with Deven Thompkins ascending.

• A few of the Bucs running backs look like they are starting to get a feel for the cutback process in the team’s mid-zone running scheme. Chase Edmonds had two backside cuts that would have gone for big yardage. One in 7-on-7’s and the other in 11-on-11’s. Rookie Sean Tucker also had a good mid-zone cut where he found a hole to exploit before redirecting to the outside for a solid gain.

• Veteran defensive tackle Will Gholston spent most of his day in the Bucs offense’s backfield during a good day of practice. Gholston was a beast against the run on Monday, but also had some nice pressures on play-action passes.

• Rookie wide receiver Rakim Jarrett had another good play making a catch for roughly a 20-yard gain. Jarrett seems to be positioning himself for WR5 or WR6 on the depth chart.