5 Key Takeaways From Day 1 of Buccaneers Joint Practice With the Jaguars

It wasn't the best of days for the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) rests during a combined NFL football training camp session between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

It's Day 14 of training camp for the Buccaneers, but Day 1 of joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars are playing host to the Bucs in Duval County, and Day 1 was decidedly a win for the Jags as the Bucs struggled on both offense and defense.

As always, BucsGameday was there in person to report on the action, and we've got five takeaways for you down below:

Bucs defense gets shredded

It was quite frankly an awful day for Tampa Bay's defense. WR Brian Thomas Jr. worked his will across the secondary, torching CB Zyon McCollum on a rep that resulted in an overthrown ball from QB Trevor Lawrence and then again on S Kaevon Merriweather — Lawrence put it there for the touchdown that time. QB C.J. Beathard also hit WR Elijah Cooks on a deep ball with CB Josh Hayes in coverage, to the delight of the Jaguars home crowd.

7v7 work in the red zone didn't go much better, with Hayes and CB Bryce Hall getting frequently targeted. All in all, it was a very rough outing for the defense (save the defensive line, which we'll get to later), and they'll look to have a much better day tomorrow.

Drops galore

On offense, drops were a big problem.

The team didn't have any splash plays like the Jaguars seemed to have, and a lot of that came down to dropped passes. The biggest offenders were WR Jalen McMillan and WR Trey Palmer, two wideouts who are in a competition with each other for WR3. Both dropped a few passes each, with Palmer and McMillan's worst offenses coming on slant routes across the middle while wide open. TE Ko Kieft also dropped an easy one on a drag route.

The drops are uncharacteristic for McMillan at least, so that may be an outlier, but both wideouts will look to improve on that front when they get a second shot Thursday for Day 2 of joint practice.

READ MORE: Buccaneers Veteran Gives Major Praise to Rookie Center After First NFL Game

Red zone offense does well

The red zone offense did a little better than the overall unit in 11v11 and 7v7 work. WR Mike Evans worked his will on the Jaguars' secondary, hauling in some touchdown passes, and Bucky Irving also punched his way through the defensive line for a score. WR Kameron Johnson is back practicing as well, and he caught a touchdown pass in 11v11 red zone work from QB Kyle Trask. One offensive positive at the end of the day, and as for the defense...

Defensive line gets in the backfield

Jacksonville's line was weak from the get-go heading into this joint practice, and it showed. DT Calijah Kancey wasn't a participant, but DT Vita Vea was, and the defensive tackle wreaked havoc on Jacksonville's offensive line. Combined with edge rushers like OLB Chris Braswell and new Buccaneer OLB Jay Person, among others, the Jaguars would have been "sacked" around six or seven times by a rudimentary count. Pressure wasn't consistent, but in bursts, it got home.

No fights!

Joint practices are somewhat notorious for causing fights, with the Lions and Giants notably getting into a few in their recent joint practice. There were none between the Jaguars and the Bucs today (although LB K.J. Britt got in Trevor Lawrence's face and cut it close), and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. said it was the cleanest joint practice he's ever been a part of.

It's a good show of discipline on both sides, and hopefully it continues during Day 2.

READ MORE: 3 Battles To Watch During Buccaneers Joint Practice With the Jaguars

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