Will Bucs Regret Not Adding a Wide Receiver at the Trade Deadline?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers watched the recent NFL trade deadline come and go, keeping the roster intact, and choosing not to add any talent to the roster.

While the Bucs are firmly in the hunt for the NFC South crown, and have been rather conservative on midseason trades in the past, adding a player or two to separate them from the rest of the division could have been helpful.

Offensively, the Bucs have stagnated in the passing game, failing to gain separation on the outside.

Thankfully, Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell have anchored a strong rushing attack, but the debate remains on whether the Bucs needed to add a difference maker in the receiving room.

To this point, Tampa's lead receiver, Emeka Egbuka, has just 278 yards and two touchdowns on 31 catches, falling into a bit of a sophomore slump after his rookie brilliance.

Egbuka's highest single-game output this season came in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, hauling in five catches for 63 yards in Tampa Bay's tight loss.

Since that time, the former Ohio State standout has recorded more than 60 yards just once more, while still seeking a big performance.

Ahead of the deadline, head coach Todd Bowles talked about what he has seen from his receiving room in general.

"Chemistry-wise, I would say yes, we have enough firepower," Bowles said. "Talent-wise. We're probably not production-wise; we're not doing what we've been doing in the past, so we can pick it up a feel a little bit in that position."

Egbuka has to lead the Bucs' receiving corps out of this purgatory, as he is the most-talented player in the room and has shown flashes of WR1 ability.

Chris Godwin Jr. is not the player he once was, and Jalen McMillan remains sidelined, thrusting younger and inexperienced talents like Ted Hurst III and Tez Johnson into larger roles.

Although many wide receivers were not moved, the Kansas City Chiefs made the marquee addition on the outside, trading for Indianapolis Colts wideout Josh Downs.

The Chiefs parted with a fourth and fifth rounder to acquire Downs, which was a fair price for the speedy pass-catcher, and begs the question if the Bucs could have offered more.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was another intriguing target, who has struggled to find his footing in Duval since his stellar rookie year.

At a lanky 6-foot-2, Thomas would provide shades of the big-play receiving threat that the Bucs excelled with in Mike Evans for a decade, but the Jaguars ultimately hung onto their former first-round pick.

As the Bucs make a playoff push, the front office and coaching staff believes they have what they need in the receiving room, but will need players like Egbuka to step up in major ways.