With Mike Evans moving on to San Francisco, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' receiving effort is one of the youngest in the league. How will Chris Godwin anchor the group as the veteran presence in the locker room?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive attack will look different without Mike Evans leading the receiving corps, but the front office has done well to add youth to the room through the last few drafts.
On Thursday, Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 wide receiver units in the NFL, with Tampa coming in at No. 17.
"Losing Mike Evans leaves a significant void, both on the field and in the locker room. Emeka Egbuka steps into a larger role after getting close to a 1,000-yard rookie season, although his 68.5 PFF receiving grade doesn’t even rank among the top 30 rookies of the last five seasons," PFF wrote. "It’s tough to envision a vintage season from an aging Chris Godwin coming off multiple injuries. Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson round out a group still finding its identity."
While losing Evans will definitely take some time to get used too, the offense was actually humming during the Bucs' legends injury hiatus early in the season.
Egbuka took on the role as the lead receiver in the room, and capitalized, leading the team in receptions (63) and yards (938), while finishing as a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In Week 5, against the Seattle Seahawks, Egbuka hauled in all seven of his targets, accumulating a career-high 163 yards and adding a touchdown. At this point, Evans was sidelined and Godwin was still getting back into playing shape, leaving Egbuka with a clear WR1 role.
His performance marked his second-consecutive 100-plus yard, one-TD outing, which earned the 6-foot-1 route technician Offensive Rookie of the Month honors for September.
Egbuka's production did dip as he dealt with lingering injuries and role changes as players got healthy, but he still manufactured one of the best rookie seasons from a Tampa wideout in franchise history.
McMillan is another young talent who was in-and-out of the lineup last year, having suffered a neck injury in the preseason.
But, like Egbuka, McMillan showed the ability to produce as a rookie two seasons ago, recording five straight games with a receiving touchdown.
This was the second-longest streak by a first-year receiver in NFL history, trailing only Randy Moss (7).
Entering Year 3, McMillan will be expected to have a larger role in offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's system, to which Godwin believes will be a benefit to Tampa's attack.
"I think he's [McMillan] going to surprise a lot of people," Godwin said in late-July.
While Godwin himself may not be in his prime anymore, he is still a consistent target for Baker Mayfield to look for in the slot, especially on third down.
For the past two seasons, Godwin has been working back from a gruesome left ankle injury campaign that limited him to just sixteen appearances since the incident.
But, Godwin's production prior to his injury was consistent and dynamic, with the former Nittany Lion recording four 1000+ yard seasons from 2019-2023.
Having someone like Godwin in the locker room, who has not only produced at the highest level, but has also played in the biggest games, is invaluable for a young receiving corps looking to write it's own narrative after Evans' departure.
