Bucs’ Devin White is in camp; whether he practices is ‘a hypothetical’

TAMPA — The Tom Brady-less Bucs reported to training camp Tuesday with fewer expectations and eyeballs greeting them nationally.

Certainly, the giant buzz created by the greatest quarterback of all time has been replaced by the ho-hum of a true competition between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.

“We knew the day would come when Tom wouldn’t be here, and we also knew when we signed him that he would have some lasting effects on this team for what he brought,” general manager Jason Licht said. “The championship mentality and everything he brought along with that. We see that lingering still in this locker room. He’s left a lasting effect.

“It was a challenge with our salary-cap constraints and where we’re at and being realistic with it short and long term … but the challenge was fun and accepted by our staff. It makes you have to go out and get real deals, shop at the Dollar Store. Sometimes you feel a real gem, and we’re hoping that’s the case. Right now, we’re cautiously optimistic we found some real gems.”

Here are three big storylines to follow entering training camp.

White is present, but will he participate?

Inside linebacker Devin White reported to camp with the rest of the Bucs’ veterans on Tuesday. But the team is keeping a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to whether their disgruntled linebacker plans to practice.

After demanding a trade last spring, White attended mandatory minicamp in June to avoid $100,000 in fines but did not participate.

Both Licht and head coach Todd Bowles were vaguely optimistic Tuesday that White plans to practice.

“It hasn’t changed since the last time we talked about it,” Licht said. “There’s nothing but love for Devin.”

White, who is playing under the club option of $11.7 million in 2023, asked to be traded in the spring after talks on a contract extension broke down.

“I know he showed up (for camp). I know he’s here,” Licht said. “I know he’s excited about showing us and showing the NFL world what type of player he’s capable of being. We’ll just have to see how it plays out. I’m glad that he’s here, and I know his teammates are.”

When asked if White would participate in the team’s first practice on Wednesday, Licht was less definitive.

“You know, that’s a hypothetical,” the GM said. “I’m assuming that he will. I’m assuming he’s going to put himself in the best position to be ready for the regular season, let’s put it that way.”

Bowles said he had not yet met with White when Tuesday’s news conference began around 9 a.m.

“I haven’t seen everybody; we haven’t met yet, but I know everybody is here and Devin is here as well,” Bowles said. “He’s under contract. We don’t worry about next year, we worry about this year, and I know he’ll be ready to play. I know he’s here, and we’ll see (whether he practices) when we come out (Wednesday).

“I haven’t talked to him. I can’t sit here and say, ‘I talked to Devin and he said ... I can’t speak for anybody.”

Asked if there was any reason for White not to practice, Bowles simply said, “No.”

When will Bowles decide on a starting QB?

Mayfield and Trask will split first-team reps during camp in what will be the first true QB battle for the Bucs since 2014 between Josh McCown and Mike Glennon.

Both Mayfield and Trask had good moments and bad during offseason workouts and mandatory minicamp as new offensive coordinator Dave Canales installed the Bucs’ new offense.

But in short order, it will be about which quarterback has the most command of the huddle and control of his passes. Every rep will be analyzed based on production.

How long before Bowles makes a decision on a starter? Not before the preseason games.

“We’re practicing full-bore now,” Bowles said. “Obviously, you take notes and you look at things in the spring. See how they learn, see how they handle the team, see how they grow. See how they encourage others and see what’s the best fit for the offense. We’ll evaluate it as the time goes. I have a timeline in my head, and I’ll make a decision at that point in time.”

Can Bucs ignore predictions?

Preseason pundits have the Bucs going from first to worst in the NFC South, and some have ranked them as low as 31st in the NFL.

The Bucs have 27 rookies on the 90-man roster, going from the oldest team in the league to one of the youngest.

But Bowles says the low expectations for his team externally don’t bother him because they’re not shared in the locker room.

“We write our own narrative,” Bowles said. “We don’t listen to anything on the outside. It doesn’t bother us, because we’re already motivated. We’re a motivated ballclub, and we’re going to write our own narrative. That’s what we go by. We don’t go by the national media. That doesn’t bother me. Predictions don’t bother me. It’s how you finish them.”

According to Bowles, the culture of the team has changed from one that was Brady-centric to more of an all-hands-on-deck approach.

“We lost a lot of guys that were staples on this team, but we added guys that work hard,” Bowles said. “The chemistry, the culture and the camaraderie is a little different. I’m not going to say it’s better, but it’s different. You can win a lot of ways and find a lot of ways to win, and I think we’ve found that way in the past and we’ve found a different way that’s going to work for us. I’m excited to see how it comes together.”

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