HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On if he liked what he saw out at practice today)

"Yeah, a lot of hard work. Learning a new scheme is different coming in and just having about two hours to meet and then go out and practice but those guys ran around well."

(On if there is any update on WR Dino Tomlin as he left practice with an injury)

"No update yet."

(On his first impression of seeing NT Desmond Watson)

"I've seen him before. He looked just as impressive before as he does now so he's a huge man. He's got a lot of size."

(On what he thought about the interception from CB Jacob Parrish)

"He got a good pick. [It was] good to see him do somethings. Again, it's t-shirt and shorts but it's good to see him make a first impression."

(On if there are any guys from the undrafted group that he's interested in)

"I am. There's quite a few of them, actually, but I think we have to wait until we get in pads before we take a real good look at them. Today was just the first part of them getting used to the scheme on both sides of the football. I want to see a little bit more tomorrow as they get comfortable and just seem them let their hair down a little bit and play."

(On if everyone handled the heat pretty well)

"We'll see what happens when I go in here and see this training room list. I saw a few at the end that – there could be some casualties involved in this."

(On if he gives the rookies time to get used to the NFL)

"They get the plane ride over here and they get to go in that locker room. After that, I don't think you have time to think about it, you know? It's everybody's dream as a young man, coming out of college. To reach part of it, as far as getting here, it's a [commendation] to all of them and we have to see which ones stick. We can't keep everybody, unfortunately, but it's a big part of their dream coming trye and that's good to see."

(On if it was good to see CB Benjamin Morrison move around and how much Morrison is expected to be able to do by training camp)

"It was very good to see him move around. I think he's okay. I just think he has to get in shape now so we have to monitor where he is as far as what kind of program he needs but I think he'll be fine. We're really looking forward to having him at training camp but if he can come out and do some things in OTAs, that would be a big bonus."

(On what he wants to see from S Shilo Sanders)
"Like the rest of the safeties, he's very intelligent, he's very loud. You can hear him today, making calls and everything, so he has a good grasp of things Day 1. There was about three or four of them that did. He was one of them, but you have to make plays in pads. That's what it comes down to – knowing what to do and then doing it consistently and constantly getting better every day."

(On if WR Tez Johnson was the fastest player on the field today)

"No."

(On who was the fastest player on the field today)

"[Jacob] Parrish."

(On if there are any rookies out at practice today that can potentially earn the backup offensive linemen roster spots)

"There are guys out there that we think and have a chance to make the 53 [man-roster]. Again, offensive linemen are more judged in pads than in shorts and t-shirts so, all of them look good size-wise but offensive linemen are supposed to. we lost some experience from a mental standpoint, with [Justin] Skule and with [Robert] Hainsey [leaving] but from a playing standpoint, [Elijah] Klein's been coming on very well and we'll see what the rest of them have to do once we get in pads."

(On what he needs to see from NT Desmond Watson in order for him to be able to earn a spot on the roster and what goes through his mind when he sees him in terms of being a package-type player)

"He has to make the team, first of all. Right now, we just have to see how long he can stay on the field and [we] put him on a program where we think he can make some progress. I think that's the biggest thing for us to do, right now. We didn't get him to say, 'Hey, we have to put you on the field right now.' It's, 'Hey, we can try to put you on this program and see what we can come up with and see if we can get our endurance better,' and have him become a better player that way, then kind of see where he is. To judge him right now is very early and we didn't get him for the tush push, we got him because we really thought he could play. It's just a matter of getting him to the point where he can play more than two or three plays a [drive]."

(On if he has any particular weight or body composition goals for NT Desmond Watson)

"Our strength staff and nutritionists are still working through that and we're coming up with a plan for him that we'll have for him that he'll go by in the summer and see how he comes back to training camp and keep working from there."

(On what he looks for in a player like OLB David Walker when they aren't practicing with pads)

"We saw the quickness, obviously, earlier today, and he was probably the best t-shirt and helmet player we had out there today from that standpoint but just understanding the scheme. The terminology is different, there's a lot of things we're asking him to do differently so to see him move around and get comfortable with that, it will be an important thing for him."

(On his impressions of WR Tez Johnson)

"I mean, he's quick. 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."

(On if WR Tez Johnson is a natural kick returner)

"He's a natural punt returner. I'm not sure about kick returner but he's a natural punt returner."

(On having Linebackers Coach Mike Caldwell back and how Defensive Line Coach Charlie Strong is acclimating to the rest of the staff)
"It's been great to have Caldwell back. I mean, he [had] been with us for a long time, he's been with me for a long time. He yelled out a play to the [linebackers] before it happened today, and I really knew he was back because he was calling out plays and I asked him to get a helmet if he was going to yell the plays out [laughs]. At least I knew he hadn't changed much. It's been great to see him back. He fits right in with George [Edwards], Larry [Foote], Kevin [Ross], Nick [Rapone], Rashad [Johnson], Tim [Atkins], 'Fitz' (Joey Fitzgerald) – all of them. He fits right in with those guys and Charlie. Charlie has come in – every time a player comes in, I feel like Charlie coached them because he knows them all from high school to every college in the country so Charlie's kind of like Uncle Remus, so to speak. He's a very good technician, he has a very good understanding of the game, he has a very good relationship to players."

(On what he thinks of LB John Bullock)

"He's vocal. Right now, he's vocal. I have to see more but just the first day, next to Shilo [Sanders], he's probably going to be one of the more vocal players right there, so he knows what he's doing. I just have to see more and him getting comfortable in the system and it looks like he would be a good [special] teams player so he'll be a guy I'll be interested in."

(On having a lot of UDFA's from Nebraska)

"I wonder why that is [laughs]."

(On seeing his children start to have more success in the world of football)

"I think you're always going to be a parent first and put your kids first. Any parent in the country wants to see their kids succeed, no matter what. I've coached former players' kids before, so this is nothing new. Deion [Sanders] understands the game. We were in Miami with Kacy [Rodgers] and Kacy's son came with us to Miami, so I've had quite a few players' sons, from that standpoint. As a father, when your sons try to make it, you're always looking at it as a father first. As long as their dreams come true and you get to see them as a parent, that's really the main thing you want to see. You want your kids to be better than what you were and do better than what you were – that's all you can hope for. You understand the business from a coaching standpoint, you understand we have a job to do. It kind of goes from there."

(On balancing the desire to want to be involved in his kids' football career and giving them space)

"I've never gotten involved in my kids' sports with coaches – from peewee ball to high school ball to college ball…If they have questions, they come home and we'll watch some tape, but I've never questioned their coach, how they do things, or any player from any university, high school or peewee ball. I let them play, I teach them how to play in the spring, they know what's right and wrong, they'll ask the right questions. I'm very supportive of them that way. I let them play. If they're good enough to play, they play. You teach them all they need to know and you go from there."

(On if OLB Haason Reddick has been part of the offseason program so far)

"He's been in and out like a few people."

(On if he's seen attention to detail and preparation skills from the 2025 draft selections so far)

"I think it's a little early for that. I think everybody is attentive right now because everybody is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and everything is new. We'll see when the vets come in and it gets to be an everyday grind how they pick up things and how they treat it from day to day."

(On if there are any positions that the Buccaneers are still looking to add talent at)

"It's possible. I'm not going to say we never will – we're always looking right now. If we can add somebody that adds value to us and they bring something to the table, we probably will. It's got to fit all the way around, whether they fit from a team standpoint and a financial standpoint. We're always looking. I'll never say never."

(On CB Jacob Parrish and if he might play both inside and outside 'in a pinch')

"He can't play outside in a pinch – he can play outside. He can play outside corner. We've got him learning nickel; I'm very comfortable with him outside. He can start at corner in this league probably for anybody and he can play inside, as well. That's the beauty of him. He's not just a nickel, I think he's an outside corner first and then a nickel second. The fact that he plays inside is just a bonus for us when we have a few guys that play inside. It helps us from a matchup standpoint, from a gameplan standpoint, which one could play nickel at which time. It keeps a lot of people guessing."

(On his relationship with CB Benjamin Morrison's father, as they were previously teammates)

"I played with his dad back in Washington for a year or two back in the early '90s. I haven't talked to him much since then, so we don't have much of a relationship, but we had a great one when we played together. He texted me after the draft and we chatted via text that way. We were very close when we were playing together, but it's been a long time since then. He's changed; I've changed…It's gone from there. He was a heck of a guy. Just talking to his son, you can tell he's a heck of a person, too. He raves that he did a heck of job raising him – him and his mom. He's just a good guy all the way around."

(On Morrison's ability to intercept the ball)

"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."

(On if he's looking to play more press coverage with the cornerbacks this season)

"We'll see how the health is, depending on the scheme. We're looking to play a little more man [coverage] and zone from man upfront from a press standpoint. It'll be mixed up. You never want to do too much of one thing, because people are going to get a beat on that. You're going to have to play some off and have to play some zone."

(On how he thinks the first day of Rookie Mini-Camp went)

"It was hot, guys ran around, they had a lot of energy early on…Some of them have got to get used to the heat that are not from the South from that standpoint. Overall, there were some positive things on tape and we've just got to keep building."

-BUCCANEERS-