TAMPA — Third-round pick Ted Hurst III seized his opportunity at the AdventHealth Training Center during Tuesday’s practice, becoming quarterback Baker Mayfield’s primary target while receivers Jalen McMillan, Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. all sat out.
“Baker trusts him,” Head Coach Todd Bowles said of Hurst, whom the Buccaneers selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft. “He knows he goes where he needs to go with the football. Ted was open at the right time, so we know he’s got a good vertical and he’s got very good hands. He made a heck of a play.”
The absences that cleared Hurst’s path could linger. Bowles confirmed that both McMillan and Egbuka are dealing with lower-body soreness and were held out as a safeguard. Godwin Jr. has been receiving veteran days off throughout camp. A fourth receiver, Tez Johnson, exited practice early after tweaking his groin during a one-on-one drill. “I think he strained a groin running, so we’ll get treatment and see how it is,” Bowles said.
On the defensive side of the ball, fourth-round pick David Walker is making up for lost time after tearing his ACL before pads came on during last year’s camp, costing him his entire rookie season. The three-time consensus All-American and 2024 Buck Buchanan Award winner as the nation’s top FCS defender at Central Arkansas has stacked wins off the edge and is central to the defensive line’s “four to one” pass-rush philosophy under Defensive Line Coach Marcus West and Outside Linebackers/Run Game Coordinator Larry Foote.
“Yeah, last year, we were bombed with injuries,” Walker said. “We really didn’t have that kind of pressure that we have this year. I feel like this year we’re more together. Coach Marcus, he, and Coach Foote, they speak on four to one. That’s all of us, if one of us [isn’t] rushing, then somebody has to win. That’s the mentality that we’re going in [with], that’s the standard and hopefully we can set that throughout the whole season.”
The Buccaneers will continue training camp at the AdventHealth Training Center this week, with Johnson’s status expected to be updated after treatment and further evaluation.