May 9 Updates
Head Coach Todd Bowles got his first look at the Buccaneers' newest players in an NFL practice setting on Friday afternoon when the team opened its weekend rookie minicamp. All of the camp participants – including 34 of whom were only in town on tryout contracts – had logged only a few hours of meetings prior to the practice, so Bowles wasn't expecting a lot of nuanced playbook knowledge on Friday. In addition, there are no pads or hits allowed in offseason work, so the "t-shirts-and-shorts" setup was never going to offer much real evidence about how the roster was going to shape up.
That said, there are still some traits that can stand out in such a setting, most notably speed. The Buccaneers notably added some of that during the 2025 draft, and after practice Bowles was asked if seventh-round wide receiver Tez Johnson had been the fastest player on the field. Bowles' answer was a succinct but categorical, "No."
Obviously, that begged a followup question about who was the fastest player on the field, and this too drew a one word answer: "Parrish."
That would be another 2025 draft pick, third-round cornerback Jacob Parrish out of Kansas State. Truth be told, this wasn't a shocking answer; Parrish was a state-champion sprinter as a prep in Kansas and his 4.35-second 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine featured prominently in his pre-draft evaluation.
The Bucs, and Bowles in particular, covet speed at cornerback more than almost any other position, and the team's two current outside starters, Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum, both stood out for their 40 times when they were on the draft recruiting trail. Bowles also noted several times this offseason, prior to the draft, that he wanted more playmakers in the secondary, and Parrish had five interceptions and 21 passes defensed over the past two seasons at Kansas State.
Parrish rolled that ball hawking success over into his first NFL practice Friday, standing out with a leaping interception. Bowles probably cares more about Parrish's speed than one random play on a May afternoon, but it certainly wasn't a bad way for the rookie to make his initial mark at the AdventHealth Training Center.
"He got a good pick," said Bowles. "[It was] good to see him do some things. Again, it's t-shirt and shorts but it's good to see him make a first impression.
"He's got very good ball skills. He's got very good awareness. That's what you like about him. He's got very good awareness and ball skills and [he] competes. I look forward to that challenge of him getting out there every day and seeing that come to fruition."
By the way, while Johnson may not have looked faster than his new Bucs teammate on Friday, he was able to make a good first impression, too.
"I mean, he's quick," said Bowles of Johnson. "He's a quick player. We know he's quick, we know he's fast, we know he can run routes and we know he's a receiver. When you're that light, you have to be very quick and he's very quick. I'll be interested to see, going forward, how he learns more."
CLICK HERE to hear more from Coach Bowles after minicamp practice on Friday.
May 8 Updates
Emeka Egbuka won't be the first Buccaneer ever to wear jersey number 9 – Joe Tryon-Shoyinka sported it for the last four years – but he could be the first Tampa Bay wide receiver to take it into regular-season action.
The six players the Buccaneers selected in the 2025 NFL Draft two weeks ago have now received the jersey numbers they are expected to wear for the team. Of course, all roster numbers are potentially subject to change, but if Egbuka does wear number 9 this season he will definitely be blazing a new trail. Only 10 other men have worn the #9 jersey for the Buccaneers, and eight of those were either punters or kickers. The exceptions were Tryon-Shoyinka and quarterback Mike Pawlawski, who was on the 1992 roster but never actually saw action in a regular-season game. The most prominent #9 in team history was Josh Bidwell, who in 2005 became the first – and still only – Tampa Bay punter ever to make the Pro Bowl.
Jerseys were officially issued to the rookies on Thursday as they arrived for the team's weekend minicamp. They are:
- WR Emeka Egbuka (1st round): 9
- CB Benjamin Morrison (2nd round): 21
- CB Jacob Parrish (3rd round): 25
- OLB David Walker (4th round): 51
- DL Elijah Roberts (5th round): 95
- WR Tez Johnson (7th round): 83
The 21 jersey has almost always been worn by a member of the secondary in Bucs history, most notably cornerback Donnie Abraham from 1996-2001. It was most recently worn by safety Mike Edwards last year in his second stint with the team. The 25 jersey has had alternating dalliances with defensive backs and running backs, including cornerback Brian Kelly, who wore it from 1998-2007 and was the leading interceptor on the 2002 defense that powered the franchise to its first Super Bowl championship.
Of the 16 players who have worn jersey number 51 in team history, all but one of them were linebackers, including Alshermond Singleton, who also started on that 2002 Super Bowl team. Broderick Thomas and Barrett Ruud also called 51 their own.
The #95 jersey has always belonged to defensive ends or interior defensive linemen in franchise history, and now Roberts joins that group. Perhaps most prominent in that number were Chris Hovan from 2005-09; it was most recently worn last year by defensive lineman C.J. Brewer.
Though the majority of NFL wide receivers now wear numbers from 1-19, the 83 jersey holds a prominent place in Bucs history. It was worn the longest by tight end Dave Moore, who ranks fourth in franchise history with 190 games, though 14 of those came in the 86 jersey in 2004. In between Moore's two stints with the Buccaneers, the 83 jersey went to wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, who made several prominent plays in the team's 2002 Super Bowl run. In 2012, wideout Vincent Jackson arrived as an unrestricted free agent and inherited #83, going on to rack up 4,326 receiving yards, the fifth most in franchise history.
