Outside of rookie wideout Ted Hurst III, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense had a dismal performance in joint practice. Bounce-back tomorrow?
As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter their preseason finale, the team kicked off its final session of joint practices on Tuesday, facing off with the in-state foe Jacksonville Jaguars.
The first practice did not go Tampa's way, with Jacksonville "out-physicaling" the Bucs, according to starting quarterback Baker Mayfield.
"They gave us some good looks and were playing with their hair on fire," Mayfield said about Jacksonville's defense. "If this was a full game, I don’t think we would have come out on the winning side. A little eye-opening."
While being outplayed from a physical and effort standpoint is never positive, this is only the first of two sessions against Jacksonville, leaving the door open for Mayfield and the offense to put forth a better effort.
Rookie wideout Ted Hurst III was one of the few silver linings, having a strong day against a fast, dynamic Jacksonville defensive backfield.
According to BucsGameday Founder Logan B. Robinson, the Bucs only had one passing touchdown in 11-on-11 and situational work, with Hurst hauling in a score in the corner of the endzone.
The former Georgia State standout was one of the top mid-major prospects in this past year's draft, and is poised to fill the X-role in offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's offense.
"The saving grace for Baker Mayfield was when he connected with Ted Hurst III…" Pewter Report wrote on Tuesday. "It was clear that Mayfield favored him over Chris Godwin Jr."
Added to the young core of Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson, and Jalen McMillan, the Bucs have done well drafting the future of their wide-receiving room, especially with Godwin getting older and Mike Evans departing in free agency.
While Hurst has a long way to go before earning statistical comparisons to Evans, the physical similarities between the two receivers is apparent, with Hurst being a big, athletic target to utilize in the redzone.
Expect Hurst to fill in as Mayfield's go-to guy on goalline fades and high-leverage routes.
Starting right tackle Luke Goedeke was one player who struggled immensely on Tuesday, with Pewter Report saying he was "WORKED" by Jaguars EDGE Joshua Hines-Allen all afternoon.
While Hines-Allen is a formidable player to go against on the outside, Goedeke is expected to be a stable force at tackle across from two-time NFL All-Pro Tristan Wirfs.
Tomorrow should be a better day for Tampa as a whole, as the team looks to end the preseason undefeated on Friday.
