TAMPA, Fla. — The buzz surrounding the opening of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp is gone without Tom Brady and fewer expectations.
The question now is, who will replace the seven-time Super Bowl champion and locker room leader? There is a true competition between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.
But it’s only day one of camp, and the players are excited to get back on the field.
“It feels like the first day of school,” Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin said. “There is a lot of excitement. Guys are eager to go. It feels good to get back on the field with the guys.”
“We have a lot of recall from the spring. Get acclimated to the heat and communication,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “That was the biggest thing we were going for. I think we got that [Wednesday].”
They also got more good looks at Mayfield and Trask. The quarterbacks are splitting first-team reps in what will be the first true quarterback competition battle for Tampa Bay since 2014 between Josh McCown and Mike Glennon.
“They both throw really good balls,” Godwin said. “They both have the ability to process information fast and get us in the right spots.”
It was somewhat of a quiet training camp. Fans won’t be filling the bleachers until Sunday.
“I kind of forgot that we normally have fans on day one,” Godwin said. “Me and Mike were talking pre-practice, and he was like, ‘I thought we were going to have fans.’ Why would we do that? Bro, you’re tripping. It’s kind of good to give guys the full football and to focus on their assignment as opposed to performing in front of a group of people, especially like the rookies.”
Disgruntled linebacker Devin White was present and practicing. White demanded a trade during the off-season. Bowles said that White is in great shape and has a great mindset.
