Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans took a nasty fall in Monday’s 24-9 loss to the Detroit Lions that left him both concussed and with a broken collarbone. That will keep him out for some time (and also end his famed 1,000-yards streak), but it might not be the end of his season just yet.

The NFL’s Ian Rapoport, when reporting on Evans’ broken collarbone, mentioned that Evans could indeed return to the Buccaneers this season. He pinpointed early-to-mid December as a potential return point for Evans this season.

If we take Rapoport’s timeline into consideration, the earliest Evans could come back is on Dec. 7 in a Week 14 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. That will be the first NFC South game the Bucs will have played since Week 8, also against the Saints, so it will be a crucial one. Mid-December could be Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers, who are currently 4-3 and one game back from the NFC South lead.

There is also the matter of Evans’ concussion to consider. It is highly unlikely that a concussion could keep a player out for more than seven weeks of football (eight, including Tampa Bay’s bye), but Evans will have to make sure he’s fully healed from that as well.

Evans returning for a potential playoff run would be big, as he adds an entirely new dimension to the offense. His contested catch ability and deep ball prowess demand quite a lot of attention, and with that, teams have to gameplan around him — leaving players like Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin to feast. Offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard will be counting on a return to help him open the playbook more in 2025.

For now, though, the Buccaneers will have to carry on without him. They’ll go up against the New Orleans Saints in Week 8 before getting a much-needed bye week in Week 9. The Bucs will now look to Emeka Egbuka to carry the load, as wideouts Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan are still recovering from injury.