The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could use some skill position players in the very worst way — at the moment, none of them are healthy.
Buccaneers legend Mike Evans has been out for four games with a hamstring injury for four games, wideout Chris Godwin now has a fibula injury after playing two games back from a brutal ankle injury he suffered last year and wideout Jalen McMillan has been recovering from a bad neck strain he suffered in the preseason. Star rookie Emeka Egbuka was the last remaining wideout in the room, but now, he’s suffered a hamstring injury against the San Francisco 49ers that will keep him out for some time.
With running back Bucky Irving also recovering from an injury, Tampa Bay’s weapons are declining. But one might be back sooner than later — head coach Todd Bowles says Evans will hopefully practice this week, putting him in play for Monday night against the Detroit Lions.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) runs out of the tunnel prior to the game against the New York Jets. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Evans has been Tampa Bay’s No. 1 wide receiver since he got to the team in 2014, and it would be huge if he could be that again for the Buccaneers on Monday night. His value isn’t just to what he can do as a receiver (and he can do a lot), but what he can do for his other receivers, too.
Evans draws a ton of double teams as a wideout, which will only help other players like Sterling Shepard, Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson and Ryan Miller be able to contribute in a bigger way. It’s something that quarterback Baker Mayfield knows about Evans well, and he discussed just how important Evans is to the offense a few weeks into the season.
That’s the big thing – he draws attention wherever he’s at,” Mayfield said. “Obviously ‘Grizz’ (Josh Grizzard) being the guy he is within our offense, motioning guys, trying to get single coverage… When they don’t want to let him have single coverage, that opens opportunities for other guys and they’re taking advantage of it.”
There’s also the matter of Evans’ legendary 1,000-yard receiving streak. If he wants to get it this year, he’ll have to work very, very hard for it — he currently has 140 receiving yards and he’s missed four games. He needs 860 yards and has 11 games to do it, meaning he needs to average around 78 yards per game to get to 1,000. That’s a lot to ask, but it came down to the wire last year, and it could be the same way this year.
The Buccaneers will face off against the Lions on Monday at 7 p.m., and hopefully, Mike Evans will be there for it.
