TAMPA—The three-time defending NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the Miami Dolphins in for some relatively-light work on Wednesday. (Both teams have had guys banged up, and chose to play it safe with the session). But you could still see the makings of a really good, complete team. Here are five takeaways from the time I got with them …
• One area where I’d see new offensive coordinator Liam Coen having an early impact would be in the run game. Coen has shown how meticulous he is in that area, with two stints under Sean McVay in Los Angeles serving as his classroom for learning the Shanahan zone system. What’ll help in his cause is the state of the offensive line—with Tristan Wirfs now entrenched on the left side, Luke Goedeke taking another big step toward becoming a top-shelf right tackle, and Graham Barton arriving as a middle-of-the-fairway first-round pick at center. And the backfield’s gotten a boost too, with rookie Bucky Irving bringing a physical, one-cut-and-go style of running to what starter Rachaad White and second-year man Sean Tucker have established. Irving’s looked like he’ll play the position, in that scheme, a little like Kyren Williams has for the Rams, as a guy who reads and hits seams fast.
