The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers got together on Thursday afternoon for a two-hour joint practice at Acrisure Stadium, where the two teams will also play a preseason game against each other on Saturday night. Both the Buccaneers and Steelers are coming off playoff seasons, so it was a competitive atmosphere, and there were the expected ups and downs for both sides throughout the two-hour session. Led by quarterback Baker Mayfield and the wide receiver trio of Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka, the Buccaneers' offense produced a series of impressive highlights, particularly at the beginning and end of the practice.
After both teams worked separately on such typical early-practice staples as offensive and defensive install and individual-position drills, the first period to feature direct competition between the Bucs and Steelers was a series of two-point attempts. The Bucs' offense took on the Steelers' defense on one end of the field and the opposite took place at the far end zone. Tampa Bay's offense ran four plays with their first-team unit on the field and successfully converted three of them.
Only one of the best defenders in the NFL, All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, kept Mayfield's crew from going 4-for-4. Mayfield's first pass in the drill found its way into the hands of tight end Cade Otton in the end zone near the left boundary but Ramsey made contact just in time to jar the ball loose. After that, running back Bucky Irving ran over left guard for an easy score before Evans got open for an uncontested catch in the end zone and McMillan ran a shallow out just over the goal line for two more scores. There were three other reps featuring Kyle Trask and Teddy Bridgewater under center, and overall the Bucs came out on top in the drill.
"We did two [series of] two-point plays," said Egubka. "We went 4-3. We had seven plays, so I think that's how we like it. You want to be on the winning end and obviously we want to go 7-0, but it's going to be tight in the NFL every single time especially down in the red zone. Those two-point plays, everything's on the line, so anytime we can come out with a win we'll be happy but we'll look back at those plays we lost and consider how to get better."
Mayfield was sharp throughout the afternoon and he consistently gave his receivers a chance to make plays by putting the ball on the money, often in tight windows.
"Oh phenomenal, every single time," said Egbuka of Mayfield's ball placement. "I don't get surprised anymore, I've seen it time and time again. Him and Mike connecting on that two-minute drill is kind of just routine for us at this point."
The final period of the practice was one two-minute drill for each team, starting just on the other side of midfield. The Bucs' offense went first and managed to get the ball into the end zone. McMillan was heavily featured in the march and Mayfield ended it with a dazzling pass through traffic to Evans in the end zone, with Ramsey in coverage.
"I thought Baker made some great calls at the end," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "Overall, it was good competition to get to see a team like that, a very physical team, a smart team. Practicing against that, it will ebb and flow both ways and we got some good work today."
Egbuka had a potential big gain in that series called back by a penalty – an NFL officiating crew was on hand to work the practice – but McMillan and Evans overcame that to make the drive a success.
"I thought it was great," said Egbuka. "I think J-Mac had a ton of great plays. Obviously I had one that was unfortunately called back, but it's football, that happens. But J-Mac really stepped up big. He had one down the left sideline for a first [down] and 20 yards, and then another one on a tip drill against Jalen Ramsey. So it got us the momentum going into the red zone and then obviously we're going to Mike in that situation and he was able to cap it off."
For good measure, Tampa Bay's defense was able to stop the Steelers' offense and get off the field without allowing any points, which was a satisfying way for the practice to come to an end for the visiting squad.
"Anytime you finish a two-minute drill, that's a good thing," said Bowles. "Them not being able to score is number one, but they communicated and they executed."
Bowles said after practice that Evans, after his strong performance in Thursday's practice, would not need to play in Saturday's game. Head Coach Mike Tomlin indicated on Thursday that many of his starters would also sit out the contest, so it's possible that Ramsey will watch from the sideline as well. The Bucs and Steelers may be deprived of that rivalry on Saturday, but Egbuka hopes the team's performance on Thursday will lead to a good outing for Tampa Bay's offense regardless.
"I think we had a good practice today," said the rookie pass-catcher. "Obviously, nothing's ever perfect, but there's a ton to build on. Just being able to go against another team always feels good, not going against the Bucs every single day. It was a good practice and it builds momentum into Saturday."
