Bucs Training Camp Takeaways: Practice Day 2 features red-zone scores from Tez Johnson and Bauer Sharp

Tampa Bay’s training camp continued Thursday with another practice day built around situational football, and two late scoring moments highlighted the session for the Buccaneers. During a red-zone segment, wide receiver Tez Johnson produced a touchdown and tight end Bauer Sharp also came through in the red-zone period with a score. For a team evaluating how quickly it can turn organized drills into game-like production, those reps mattered.

The most detailed scoring play came from Sharp’s touchdown. The seventh-round pick was lined up in the slot and ran a square out route, leaving him in a soft, vacant area of coverage before turning upfield toward the sideline on a sharp cut. Baker Mayfield delivered the ball to Sharp’s chest as Sharp crossed the target window, giving the tight end a clean catch and finishing the play for six during red-zone work.

Sharp’s profile entering the NFL is shaped by production from inside the college system as a pass-catcher, and the Buccaneers’ practice notes underlined how his skill set translates to the area of the field where short timing and leverage decisions matter most. The team pointed to his work as a receiver that can win on underneath routes, along with the footwork and pad-level traits that help him separate at the top of a break and after the ball is thrown.

A second theme from the day involved Tampa Bay’s defense, specifically Anzalone’s ability to affect plays in coverage during the red-zone look. The practice recap singled out the linebacker’s “coverage” performance during the same period where the offense was searching for points. In camp evaluation terms, that is an encouraging sign because red-zone football compresses spacing and speeds up reads, making it a harsher test for both quarterbacks and defensive backs.

The day’s takeaways also offered a snapshot of how the Buccaneers are likely to view their tight end group: Sharp wasn’t just involved, he was used as a route-running option in the slot against coverage that created a narrow window. That matters for Mayfield’s development in camp because it forces quick decisions on rhythm throws and timing-based completions rather than longer developing concepts.

Sharp’s football background includes a transfer path that is increasingly common in the modern college game. The Buccaneers noted that he entered the transfer portal and moved to LSU in 2025, and that he finished that season with 24 receptions for 252 yards, averaging 10.5 yards per catch. Those college numbers, combined with the route detail emphasized by the team, help explain why camp staff would look closely at his underneath reliability while defenses sit tighter near the goal line.

Thursday’s practice, as described by the Buccaneers, showed the offense can generate scoring chances in compressed spaces, while the defense continued to challenge those efforts through coverage plays in the red-zone segment. What to watch next is whether those red-zone connections continue to show up consistently, and whether the defense, led by players like Anzalone, can sustain the same level of disruption as the team works through additional live periods.

Overall, practice-day moments like Mayfield-to-Sharp and Johnson’s red-zone score provide more than highlights. They offer a window into role clarity and matchup planning for the Buccaneers, especially as the team tries to tighten timing on quick routes and as linebackers and secondary units refine their communication and technique in short-field situations.