Back in Action
Quarterback Baker Mayfield was dealing with a right hand contusion and missed several days of camp, along with inside linebacker Lavonte David. David was working through an unspecified leg injury but both cornerstone players were back on the grass during Tuesday's practice.
"[David] is going to make plays every time he is in there and he brings energy to the group so when he comes back, we are a lot stronger on defense," said Bowles.
Mayfield ramped up the competition with his usual competitive disposition and David galvanized the defensive unit. Mayfield zipped the ball to his targets with ease while working through progressions and David showcased his range in the smothering Florida heat.
"[Mayfield] was sharp," stated Bowles. "He was throwing the football like camp days never ended. He was very good on his reads as far as understanding where the blitzes were coming from and where to go with the football so I was happy about that."
Starters on Saturday?
The Buccaneers host the Titans on Saturday, August 9, for Preseason Week One at Raymond James Stadium. The two teams will go head-to-head in a joint practice at the AdventHealth Training Center on Thursday. Joint practices provide valuable opportunities for clubs to evaluate player depth through game-like reps and for teams to face different offensive and defensive schemes than what they face during a routine training camp practice. The barometer scrimmage will help Tampa Bay assess where they are at as a roster and based on those snaps from the starters, Tampa Bay's brass may opt to see what the young players and depth options can do at Raymond James Stadium against the Titans.
"Depends on how practice goes on Thursday," said Bowles on if starters will play. "A lot of starters will get reps in that [practice] so expect to see a lot of young guys on Saturday."
Bucs Sign Teddy Bridgewater
On Tuesday following practice, the Buccaneers announced their intention to sign quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Overall, Bridgewater has appeared in 79 career games (65 starts) across 10 NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2014–17), New Orleans Saints (2018–19), Carolina Panthers (2020), Denver Broncos (2021), Miami Dolphins (2022) and Detroit Lions (2023–24). He has completed 1,372-of-2,067 career pass attempts (66.4%) for 15,120 yards and 75 touchdowns to earn a passer rating of 90.5, while adding 856 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. A Pro Bowl selection in 2015, Bridgewater owns a 33-32 career record as a starter.
Originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Bridgewater started 12 games as a rookie and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
The Miami, Florida, native played collegiately at the University of Louisville (2011–13), starting 39 games and completing 781-of-1,142 passes (68.4%) for 9,817 yards and 72 touchdowns. He concluded his tenure at Louisville as the program leader in completion percentage, while ranking third in passer rating (157.2), passing yards and passing touchdowns. Bridgewater attended Miami Northwestern High School, the same as Lavonte David, and the two former teammates will reunite in Tampa Bay.
"We have talked about for over a couple weeks, maybe even over the summer," described Jason Licht. "We had some discussions about it and thought it would be a nice addition to the room, it's good for Baker. He is an experienced guy, obviously very smart and is a hell of a high school coach and hell of a coach in general. Just a good addition to have that wealth of experience there."
