We are truly on the road to NFL kickoff as teams around the league are wrapping up their first week of training camp as preparations for the new season really begin to take priority.
While there is not always a guaranteed translation from a good camp to a phenomenal season, it doesn't hurt to see the team do well over these next few weeks. Today I'm going to pick some winners and losers from Week 1 of the Bucs training camp to see where things stand for now.
A little hint, there was not a lot of bad to be found. Let's dive in.
Winner: Chris Godwin
Coming off of three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, it would be easy for the Penn State product to come into camp resting on his laurels.
That has not been the case as he has been playing some of the best football on offense over the first few days in camp. While he has racked up the catches in recent years, the touchdowns have not followed nearly as much.
This could be a source of focus and motivation for Godwin to come in ready to rock and show new offensive coordinator Liam Coen what he can truly bring to the table.
Mike Evans has already said that Chris looks like" 2019 Chris Godwin". If that is the case, he could be in for a huge year.
Winner: Overall Team Conditioning
One of the biggest challenges in the early days of training camp for teams is getting everyone up to speed and back in football shape.
It usually takes a week or so to really have the players back and firing on all cylinders. I get it, the off-season is long and these guys want to get away and recharge.
However, apparently, the Bucs players took their off-season fitness regiments very seriously. Todd Bowles said this is the most in-shape team from Day 1 that he has seen in Tampa. This is important because it allows the coaches to begin implementing gameplan strategies over just conditioning.
Trying to learn a new offense brought in from Coen, the chance to hit the ground running and learning things can go a long way when the season really kicks off.
Winner: The Bucs secondary
Throughout the first week, the Bucs defensive backfield has been making plays all over the field whether it is in 7v7 or 11v11.
Bryce Hall and Tavierre Thomas both had very good weeks as they look to establish vital roles in Bowles' defense. Thomas, in particular, has been very good, as he had multiple interceptions this week. It will be interesting to see if he gets more reps with the first team over the next week to really make his case.
Losing Carlton Davis III was rough, but the early indications show that things might not be so bad after all.
Of course, we still have No. 31 sitting back there to clean everything up and he is another star to come to camp in prime shape and he does not appear to be counting his money from the new contract he signed.