Buccaneers get tested in ways they've never been tested during joint practice with Dolphins

Wednesday's joint practice with the Miami Dolphins officially marked the end of Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, as the team now preps for Friday's matchup. And then, it's onto the regular season.

So, let's not waste any time and dive into the main observations from practice.

1. Dolphins offense hit Lavonte David with stuff "he's never seen before"

The Dolphins obviously have one of the most potent and unique offenses in the NFL. So unique, in fact, that Mike McDaniel and co. were hitting one of the Bucs' best players in franchise history with stuff he's never seen as a football player before.That's quite the compliment from a guy who's entering his 13th season, played nearly 12,000 NFL snaps, has made the Pro Bowl and has earned three All-Pro nods. Oh, and there's the fact that he may be a Hall of Famer, one day.

"[There was] lot of stuff that we haven't seen, shoot, since I've been playing football, you know," David said after practice. "So I think all it does, all it did, was get us better today. And I think we did the same thing for them. We got better, you know, they got better going against us. So, overall, [a] productive day."

Calijah Kancey, even though he plays along the defensive line, had a lot of the same things to say.

"They definitely have a lot of, like, tricky things," said Kancey. "It's like, a lot of eye candy. If your eyes are wandering, you can definitely just lose focus on your keys real quick and get lost. So you really just got to dial in and know what they are actually trying to get to because they could be showing here, but actually want to go there, and it just comes down to reading your keys. But they definitely got a lot of movements and tricky things to their own game."

K.J. Britt said a while back that practicing against the Bucs new offense has helped him with eye discipline and whatnot, so the defense is getting a good dose of the new-style NFL offenses over the offseason. We'll see how that translates in the regular season against the likes of the 49ers, Lions, Falcons, and even the Commanders and Panthers.

2. Rookie TE Devin Culp returns to action in full capacity

Culp missed Monday's practice and was then seen in a black, non-contact jersey on Tuesday, per reports. But, when the Bucs started practice on Wednesday, Culp was in full pads and participated in all drills, including 11-on-11s.

The rookie seventh-rounder didn't make a ton of plays, but the big takeaway, here, is he's healthy and should play on Friday night.

3. Bucs start slow on both sides of the ball, but pick it up toward the end of practice

Outside of a beautiful deep ball play from Jalen McMillan, the receivers got off to an inconsistent start during the first 1-on-1 periods and then both the offense and defense started off slow during respective team drills. Kyle Trask was picked off on a really bad throw/decision to McMillan and at one point, Baker Mayfield threw three-straight incompletions. It was a tough test overall, to say the least. However, the Bucs still made some really good plays and got their fair share of blows in.

On the defensive side, Tua Tagovailoa connected with his receivers, mainly Jonnu Smith, for a few big plays and there were some solid gains in the run game. But, the defense did tighten at times and didn't allow much whenever Mike White entered the chat.

4. Graham Barton receives a big test in Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler

This was easily at the top of my matchups to watch, even including the other Bucs interior offensive linemen in Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson. Campbell and Sieler make up one of the NFL's best defensive tackle duos and while the Bucs iOL has promise, it's got a lot to prove.

Both players immediately made their presences felt in the first run of 11-on-11s, where Campbell broke through the line, clean, and then Sieler found himself in the backfield on the very next play.

Barton was officially named the starter after Tuesday's practice and Todd Bowles said on Wednesday that Ben Bredeson is officially the starter at left guard. The Bucs offensive line is set and if it can live up to its abilities, should be a very good unit in 2024. They'll get a great test, right off the bat, when they face Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne in Week 1.

5. WR Cody Thompson makes a highlight-reel grab and should make the Bucs' 53-man roster

Thompson made a sensational deep catch with Dolphins starting corner Kendall Fuller in tight coverage. The two players battled all the way to the ground, with Thompson emerging as the victor with the ball.

Thompson has been consistent and steady since he arrived, which is impressive considering he didn't come into the fold until June. He also plays special teams, which is key for any player at WR5 or lower.

6. The Bucs have a plan for Kameron Johnson

Johnson makes his NFL debut on Friday night and it's easily one of the top storylines to watch. The Bucs used him in multiple ways on Wednesday, showing the vision and plan for the undrafted rookie out of Barton College.

The Bucs used him on a couple of end arounds, a jet sweep, and in the passing game, where made a couple of nice grabs, including one over the middle. The kid is fast and quick and his footwork is impressive.

Right now, I'd say he makes the final 53, despite not playing in a preseason game, just yet. The ability is there, he just has to prove he can make plays under the lights.

Final Word

The Bucs went up against one of the NFL's best teams and that was on full display as the Dolphins made a lot of plays. They also did it without the likes of guys like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Odell Beckham Jr., Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Jalen Ramsey, and others.

But, that doesn't mean the Bucs didn't get their share of wins. The Baker Mayfield-Mike Evans connection looks as lethal as ever, Sean Tucker and Rachaad White made some nice plays, and overall, the defense had its moments.

It's tough to truly gauge how a real game would shake out between these two teams since there were so many guys out on Miami's side and while it was a tough day in terms of competition the Bucs managed to hold their own throughout. There's still plenty to work on, but it'll be a surprise if this team isn't in the postseason (barring injuries, of course).