The Buccaneers had another competitive battle on Friday during an 11-period morning. During the two-hour-plus exhibition, several players stepped up in red and white. Without full-on collisions, sacks and tackles, coverage skills, interceptions, pass breakups, contested catches and acceleration/vision are held at a premium. On Friday, three players stood out:
Jamel Dean Interception
Entering Year Six with the Buccaneers, cornerback Jamel Dean is prioritizing takeaways. Every day after practice, he catches 50 balls on the Jugs machine to create muscle memory. The ball drills have paid off in the form of interceptions. Dean has picked off Baker Mayfield twice over the last four practices during camp, including once on Friday. He certainly has the recovery speed to stay with vertical threats and this season, Dean has his eye on coming away with the football to enhance his overall toolbox.
"I have made a big emphasis to catch 50 balls a day so when the opportunity comes, it will be natural for me," Dean said. "Last year, I know I dropped like five interceptions and that separates you from Pro Bowl, All-Pro and basically the rankings, so I wanted to make it a big emphasis. I put myself in the right situations, I just have to finish."
He can challenge jump balls with his frame/ physicality and in 2024, Dean is looking to pad the stat sheet with interceptions to change the momentum of games.
Bucky Irving Acceleration
On the practice fields, the offense stressed the defense horizontally by getting playmakers in space. Rookie Bucky Irving bolstered the offense by creating down the perimeter via screens and quickly getting to the edge on runs behind the lateral-flowing offensive line. Irving possesses short-area quickness and YAC juice that made an impact on Friday. He shifted into top gear and elevated the ground game. Following practice, left guard Ben Bredeson discussed the team's ground attack under the direction of Liam Coen.
"The way that you can attack the defense in multiple different ways with moving guys around, creating different run angles and being able to stretch the defense so that he can cut back inside or get it on the edge," said Bredeson. "There are different things you can do from a running the ball perspective and it is very intriguing. We are bringing up all these different variations that we are installing all the time to try and make it as good as we can, and it is genuinely an exciting offense."
Chris Godwin Physical Grab
Throughout training camp, Chris Godwin has put on a clinic, making an impact over the middle of the field in team drills and in one-on-ones. With a defensive back drawing a pass interference flag, Godwin hauled in a catch away from his body. In Year Eight, Godwin is in peak form and thriving in his revitalized slot role in Coen' system. He has been a go-to target for Baker Mayfield and a versatile chess piece in the offense. Whether running a jet sweep, option route, or lining up outside to stretch the field, Godwin is effective. He is a willing blocker in the trenches and is as unselfish as they come. Godwin's catch in traffic on Friday lit a spark in the offense and rallied the unit in the Florida heat.
