The first day of Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp would have started at 2:30 p.m., except for all of the rain and lightning preventing that from happening. Instead, the Bucs didn't get to work until 7:00 p.m. at the USF campus in a workout that was closed to the public -- but they did get the work in. So let's go through some of the key observations from those who were there.
Here's video of Bucs players walking to practice fields at USF for tonight's practice. pic.twitter.com/0fe7miqhHd
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 1, 2015
Jameis Winston struggled a little
With a wet ball and on the first day of training camp, it should be no surprise that a rookie quarterback struggled. And that's what Jameis Winston did. According to the Tampa Tribune, he forced and missed a lot of throws. Pewter Report was more positive, calling his work "sharp" during 7-on-7s, but noting that he was sloppy when the rain picked up during 11-on-11s.
Vincent Jackson still working the slot
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have used Vincent Jackson in the slot quite a lot over the past few years, and that continued yesterday. According to the Tampa Tribune, rookie Kenny Bell was on the outside in three-receiver sets, with Jackson moving to the slot.
Doug Martin continues to look good
I'm always skeptical of non-contact, offseason reports of resurrected players, but Doug Martin continues to get good review. The Tampa Tribune says he's running with "more burst and later agility than he's shown in almost two years"
Austin Seferian-Jenkins was uneven
Both the Tampa Tribune and Pewter Report note that Austin Seferian-Jenkins was targeted a lot, but that his performance was a little uneven, with one big drop. He has a chance to be a huge part of the team's offense this year, but he'll have to take some big steps compared to where he was last year.
Garrett Gilkey still starting
The rookie linemen haven't made it into the starting lineup yet, and that means Garrett Gilkey is somehow in the starting lineup at right guard, with Kevin Pamphile at left tackle. It's mostly a matter of time before that changes, though Gilkey may actually keep his job into the season -- which would be a minor disaster.
Competition in the secondary
Bradley McDougald continues to start at strong safety with Chris Conte was the starting free safety, but the Bucs rotated a lot with those two, D.J. Swearinger and Major Wright, per the Tampa Bay Times. Johnthan Banks and Alterraun Verner are the starting cornerbacks. Sterling Moore is still working on the outside, which means Leonard Johnson is the primarily slot cornerback. All of that via Greg Auman.
Kwon Alexander groomed for the middle?
It's not entirely clear where the Bucs see Kwon Alexander's future in the linebacking corps, but there's a chance he's being groomed for the middle in the long term. Greg Auman notes that that's where he lined up with the second-team defense, although Pewter Report had him on the strong side -- the team's likely still rotating. For now, Danny Lansanah continues to be the starting strongside linebacker.
Finding a returner
The Bucs spent the entirety of last year trying to find quality returners, and failing to find any. The search continues, with Kaelin Clay, Kenny Bell, Rannell Hall, Donteea Dye, Tavarres King and Dominique Brown all getting opportunities to return kicks at the end of practice, per the Tampa Bay Times. Of course, returning kickoffs isn't all that relevant anymore and the punt return job will be a lot more intriguing. Clay's likely to pick that one up in the long term.