TAMPA, Fla. -- Jameis Winston had, by far, his best day of practice since joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Winston, who has struggled with interceptions early in camp, was sharp from start to finish Thursday.

Unofficially, Winston completed 11 of 16 passes in 11-on-11 drills. His numbers could have been even better if it wasn't for two dropped passes. In 7-on-7 drills, Winston completed 11 of 12 passes.

Most importantly, Winston did not throw an interception.

"He did some good things today," coach Lovie Smith said. "Every day we're giving him something different. It's all a part of the progression he needs to go through. We're pleased with where he is."

Smith didn't go overboard with his praise. But the Bucs have to be delighted with the progress Winston is making. Many of his completions were short passes or checkdowns, but he did complete two long passes. He also made no obvious mistakes.

Winston drew praise from All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

"Jameis is Jameis," McCoy said. "He's been it since he was in high school. People have been saying he's going to be a star for the longest [time]. He proved in high school and came in and did it at Florida State. He's not going to do anything different in the league. Every day I come in, I come in pretty early between 6:30 and 7, he's already in the locker room working on his abs, doing his core work with one of our strength coaches.

"That means when I walk in he's already been in, changed clothes and done everything necessary. Then he gets to meetings early. He puts in all the work necessary and has all the tools to be a great quarterback. I think he's going to do the same thing he's been doing, that's be successful."