The Tampa heat isn’t the only thing rising at the Bucs’ 50th training camp. After a 2024 season that saw Baker Mayfield rebrand himself from journeyman to franchise cornerstone, expectations are higher — and so are the stakes. But with multiple key weapons absent this week, questions are already swirling. This isn’t unfamiliar territory for Mayfield, who made it clear last year how much Tampa Bay’s stability meant to him. “You’re having a lot more fun when you’re not getting shipped off to different places like a piece of dirty laundry,” he said on The Mike Calta Show. That brutal honesty captured everything about his fit in Tampa: he was home, finally.
And that comfort paid off. Mayfield posted career highs, led the Bucs to a third straight NFC South title, and even earned a Pro Bowl nod — something few predicted when he signed. Now, entering Year 2 of that $100 million deal (and 3rd overall here in Tampa), his tone hasn’t changed. The underdog edge remains, but so does the expectation. What’s different is the pressure. With a reshuffled offense and a few vital absences looming, this version of Baker doesn’t just have to survive. He has to lead — again. And early signs suggest he’s not letting the noise rattle him.
The Bucs are familiar with camp disruptions. A depth tested early has often become the storyline of the season for a battered franchise. Over the last few years, injuries to key figures like Chris Godwin Jr. and Tristan Wirfs have forced coaches into constant recalibration. But in a league shaped by razor-thin margins, every day of missed practice cuts deep. And that’s the reality HC Todd Bowles is facing this year, again.
No two days are ever the same at camp, but this latest roll call set off a few alarms. As NFL reporter Greg Auman posted on his X handle, “Bucs have RB D.J. Williams and WR Kam Johnson not practicing today. I don’t see rookie OLB David Walker, who left practice early with a leg injury Friday.” For a roster already walking the tightrope between experience and unproven talent, the absences of Williams, Johnson, and especially Walker (the fourth-round rookie with a strong upside just beginning to carve his space) couldn’t have come at a worse time. While the reason for Williams and Johnson’s absence is still unclear, Walker had gotten hurt on a running play and hit the ground for a while. After some time, he got up and left the field. But even with these three absentees, the headache for Tampa Bay was only just beginning.
Bucs have RB D.J. Williams and WR Kam Johnson not practicing today. I don’t see rookie OLB David Walker, who left practice early with a leg injury Friday.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) July 27, 2025
Williams was all set to compete for snaps behind the established starters. Johnson was also looking forward to making an impression after going undrafted last season. But as Greg Auman further added in separate posts, the missing roll call went on. Safety Marcus Banks was also notably out of the training camp. Banks had notably missed a chunk of the OTAs and minicamps earlier as well. To add another layer of worry, Auman wrote, “Bucs TE Cade Otton is not practising today, but also could be first wave of veteran maintenance days starting up.” That’s five names missing from a roster in a training camp that decides the fate of the final roster.
Each missing player, injury or otherwise, means the coaches get a longer look at training-camp risers. With the stage all set for hungry backups to seize the spotlight, their performances in the next few weeks might just punch their tickets to September. And yet, amid the grind and uncertainty, there are moments that remind everyone football is equal parts intensity and joy. With Baker Mayfield stepping back into an old role with a fresh twist and adding a dash of humor.
Baker Mayfield’s lookalike contest
On Friday, Bus QB Baker Mayfield seized the camp’s spotlight, not with his arm, but as a master of ceremonies. The occasion? The franchise’s first-ever Gus Swayze lookalike contest. Dressed down and shifting roles, Mayfield swapped QB calls for judge’s scores, delighting everyone with his infectious energy in the process. Gus Swayze is notably the character Mayfield plays in “The Undercovers,” a popular series on Amazon Prime. In the series, Swayze is a “mullet-wearing Buccaneers superfan,” and it was this character that contestants tried to bring to life at Mayfield’s contest.
The guys donned their best Gus Swayze getups, mullet wigs, faux-leather jackets, and magnetic grins, lining up as Mayfield playfully judged each impersonation. “It did not disappoint,” echoed the Buccaneers’ official X handle, sharing laughter-filled clips that quickly went viral. While three finalists came close, only one won it all with a small detail. As Mayfield himself noted, “The mullets are intact, the sunglasses are accurate, but right now – there’s only one person who has their Crocs in ‘sport mode’.” The winner received a football-shaped trophy that also sported a mullet, mustache and a bandanna.
Baker Mayfield’s venture went far in lifting the tensions already swirling around the Bucs’ training camp. It was proof that a team’s bond is forged not only through sprints and sweat. But in the goofy, all-in embrace of a new competition that could very well become a tradition. As the Bucs march deeper into camp, this energy from Mayfield will help fire up the roster amid growing worries and missing stars.
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