Many outlets have been on record insisting the losses in free agency for the Buccaneers weren’t as detrimental as a lot of people think. I mean sure, DeSean Jackson still has decent top end speed, but with him turning 32 this year, I don’t see the Philadelphia Eagles wanting to build their offense around him either.
And although Adam Humphries was a young, talented slot receiver bursting on the scene in Tampa, is he a 1,000 yard receiver with Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans? No. Tennessee is a clearly less talented team with the privilege of playing in a bottom barrel division every year. They just happened to offer Humphries more cash.
But apparently some thought those departures were so vital to the team’s success that the Buccaneers are now ranked near the bottom of the league in starting receivers. SB Nation’s Christian D’Andrea talks more in detail about his ranking for Tampa Bay:
“Mike Evans is great, and his ability to be both massive and elusive helped create the space for Adam Humphries and DeSean Jackson to shine, regardless of whether it was Jameis Winston or Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing them the ball.
And now both Humphries and Jackson have moved on, and Godwin and Perriman will have to step up in their wake. Perriman restored some of his value by showcasing his versatility under Freddie Kitchens with the Browns, and it’s not crazy to think he could keep that going with a creative offensive mind like Bruce Arians calling the shots in Tampa. Godwin was impressive in flashes last year, but will have to dial up his consistency to help Winston convince the Bucs he’s worth extending.“
This should make its way to the Bucs wide receiver rooms and light some fires under certain seats.
Yes, Breshad Perriman is in a “prove it” year essentially and it is a sizable risk to lean on him as heavily as the Buccaneers will this year. To say though that Chris Godwin hasn’t convinced the Glazers he’s worth an extension is a massive overstatement. Beyond that, rookie Scotty Miller wasn’t even mentioned. By year’s end Tampa Bay hopes Miller breaks the Humphries comparisons and starts his own Miller 1.0 legacy in the Bay Area. Simply put 28th out of 32 teams is comical.
