The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took to the field at Raymond James Stadium for the first time in 2014 for Night Practice, an annual event aimed at getting fans excited for the season.
Just shy of 15,000 got a look at the team going through a normal practice (with a couple of contests thrown in), and here are some of the important updates.
Injuries
Rick Brown of The Ledger noted that six players weren't practicing under the lights. Alterraun Verner, Rashaan Melvin and Mike Jenkins missed the previous practice, while Dashon Goldson has been limited throughout camp as he works his way back from injury. David Gettis pulled up during a recent practice, while Evan Dietrich-Smith had his foot stepped on and should be fine.
Guards
Oniel Cousins and Jamon Meredith got the start at guard in 9-on-7 drills, but the Bucs have been rotating the first-team guards during practices, so this isn't necessarily indicative of the battle so far.
Because according to Bucs Brief, Patrick Omameh was the star of the offensive line versus defensive line one-on-ones. They also noted that Cousins did alright, which is encouraging to hear.
We still won't truly know how things are going on the interior of the line until it's another team lined up against them in a preseason game, but for now, there are slivers of hope that at least one of the players battling for a spot can deliver an acceptable performance at the position this year.
