Facing the departure of Mike Evans, Tampa Bay looks to a revamped receiving corps and rookie talent to navigate a critical rebuild and secure a postseason return.
FOX Sports' Ralph Vacchiano arranged all 32 NFL teams into tiers on Wednesday and labeled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as "playoff contenders, but nothing more."
Vacchiano's "playoff contender" tier includes these teams: the Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Buccaneers. He believes Tampa Bay has more questions than answers at the moment.
The team finished 8-9 last season after injuries cooled down a 5-2 start to the year. Tampa Bay lost the division to Carolina via tiebreaker, causing them to miss the playoffs.
Adding insult to injury, a significant part of Vacchiano's placement for the Buccaneers is the departure of wide receiver Mike Evans. The franchise legend left and signed with the San Francisco 49ers on a three-year, $60.4 million contract.
In response to Evans leaving elsewhere, the team drafted Georgia State's Ted Hurst in the third round of this year's draft. Hurst adds depth and competition to the receiving corps, but staying healthy is the priority for coach Todd Bowles.
"We're going to need everybody in that room going forward," Bowles told reporters on Tuesday. "Hopefully, nobody goes down. But, you know, to draft a guy like Hurst to go with the other athletes we have in there, that just enhances everybody else's competition."
A competitive environment allows each receiver the opportunity to sharpen their skills. Headliners like Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan continue cementing their status as the lead receivers.
Young players like Hurst, Tez Johnson, Eric Rivers and Dean Patterson compete to rise the depth chart and earn playing time. Tampa Bay's receiving corps is a mix of experience and youth, an observation Godwin Jr. made during OTAs.
The 10th-year veteran said the team has a room full of guys ready to go, and is excited for the young players who have reached the pro level.
"They've been training their whole lives for these opportunities," Godwin Jr. told reporters Tuesday. "I'm excited for them to get the opportunities that they're going to get."
Although Evans is gone, McMillan is grateful for the knowledge his former teammate gave during his tenure. Losing a franchise legend is heartbreaking, but the former Washington product is ready to see how next season looks.
"I'm just excited to step in to see what we could do," McMillan told reporters on May 26. "This is where we're going to gain confidence, and this is where we're going to play without Mike."
Tampa Bay has won the NFC South division for four straight seasons before Carolina snapped their streak. Injuries played a significant role in the Buccaneers' cold end to the season.
However, with a deep receiving core, they aim to mitigate the loss of Evans and take back the division to reach the playoffs again.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
