TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ wide receiver room and a third-quarterback competition have emerged as the defining battles of 2026 training camp, with Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson singling out second-year wideout Tez Johnson as the early standout through the first week of practices.
The Bucs entered camp without franchise icon Mike Evans, who departed in free agency, but Robinson said the position group remains stacked behind Chris Godwin Jr., who has four 1,000-yard seasons in Tampa Bay and is entering his 10th year; second-year receiver Emeka Egbuka, who posted a productive rookie campaign in 2025; and third-year man Jalen McMillan, who returned from a preseason neck injury last year to impress down the stretch.
“The wideout position is really deep,” said Robinson. “I know we know the guys we’re going to be really counting on. Let’s find who those other guys are going to be. I know Tez has had a great camp, you guys have seen him out at practice. He’s making explosive plays every single day. You feel his juice out there. He’s done a great job from the spring to now with the offense. He’s getting lined up in the right spots, he’s doing a great job.”
Behind Johnson, third-round pick Ted Hurst out of Georgia State is competing as the true “X” receiver. Free agency addition David Sills, who followed Robinson from Atlanta and is coming off his most productive NFL season, second-year quarterback-to-receiver convert Garrett Greene, Kameron Johnson, Dennis Houston and undrafted rookies Eric Rivers and Dean Patterson round out the group. “Obviously, Ted’s coming along,” Robinson said. “He’s still young, still learning, still figuring everything out but he’s been sharp so far. You’ve got Kam and Sills, some of these other guys that are really competing and doing a great job. All of them have made plays throughout camp; the ball’s really kind of been going everywhere. It’s been great.”
At quarterback, the Bucs carried three passers for the last six weeks of the 2025 season, and a similar competition is brewing between returning undrafted passer Connor Bazelak and Kansas product Jalon Daniels, who compiled 9,282 passing yards, 67 touchdown passes, 1,445 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns across 49 games from 2020 to 2025. Jake Browning has replaced Teddy Bridgewater as the veteran backup with starting experience. Head Coach Todd Bowles said Daniels has already turned heads with his arm talent. “I like his arm strength,” Bowles said. “He can make some very unconventional throws. Obviously, you want to see the normal stuff as well, but when he gets in trouble he can get himself out of trouble, and that’s big.”
On defense, second-year cornerback Benjamin Morrison is missing practices with a lingering hamstring issue, opening extra reps for undrafted free agent Ayden Garnes out of Arizona — who ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash and recorded five interceptions and 27 passes defensed over 42 games at Duquesne, West Virginia and Arizona — and Damarion Williams, a former Baltimore fourth-round pick heading into his age-28 season with 15 career games for the Ravens. “Very good cover skills,” Bowles said of the 5-11, 181-pound Garnes. “For a corner that small he’s got great feet, he’s got very good instincts.” Of Williams, Bowles added: “He has very good athletic skills. He has some nickel flexibility as well. So I’m interested in seeing him in pads.”
Fourth-round pick Keionte Scott, a defensive back out of Miami who missed OTAs and minicamp after a wrist cleanup procedure following the Scouting Combine, is now participating fully. The Bucs put on full pads for the first time Monday, with both Garnes and Williams angling for one of the 70 combined spots on the active roster and practice squad when the regular season arrives.