The Tampa Bay Buccaneers left their first joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars knowing their effort wasn't good enough. Tuesday's practice was one of Tampa Bay's roughest sessions of the summer. The offense struggled to consistently move the ball, Jacksonville controlled stretches on both sides and, perhaps most concerning, the Buccaneers lacked the energy and physicality they had shown throughout camp.
Baker Mayfield admitted afterward that Jacksonville was the more physical team, while Josiah Trotter Jr. acknowledged that Tampa Bay's energy and body language weren't up to the standard the defense expects. Chris Godwin Jr was similarly critical, saying the Bucs have to create their own energy when playing on the road and respond better when things start going wrong. The second practice was lighter and conducted without full pads, with most of the competitive work coming during seven on seven periods before the teams separated for walkthroughs. Still, Tampa Bay played with noticeably more tempo and made the most of the opportunities it had against Jacksonville, and the defense provided the biggest response.
Trotter intercepted Trevor Lawrence in the red zone after recognizing a wheel route, and undrafted rookie Ayden Garnes followed with another interception. Benjamin Morrison and Keionte Scott also recorded pass breakups as Tampa Bay's young secondary consistently challenged Jacksonville's passing game. The offense looked sharper as well. Mayfield connected with Tez Johnson, Kenny Gainwell and Ted Hurst III for touchdowns during red zone work. Hurst continued his impressive week by beating Travis Hunter for another score after having success against him during Tuesday's practice. Todd Bowles still wasn't completely satisfied. He called the offense rusty over the two days and noted that the defense had mental mistakes that need to be corrected. But he also felt the Bucs got the mental work they needed from the trip. Tampa Bay was challenged after looking flat and getting outplayed Tuesday. Rather than carrying that performance into the final day of camp, the Bucs returned with better energy and execution.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Buccaneers respond with bounce back day against Jaguars
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