In what has been a wild few weeks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wide receiver Cyril Grayson has been a consistent bright spot. The former LSU sprinter hauled in the game-winning touchdown catch against the Jets on Sunday, after the Buccaneers had originally trailed by 14 points.
7th Time is the Charm
Since entering the NFL in 2017, Grayson has been with 7 teams. He originally came to Tampa Bay in 2019, but was on the practice squad until 2021. Over his last two games, Grayson has caught 9 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. The explosion in production has come at a great time, with Godwin out due to his ACL injury and Antonio Brown being on hiatus. Grayson appears to be the new WR2 behind Mike Evans, getting the spot over Breshad Perriman. Perriman could certainly give Grayson a run for his money, but at this point in the season, it’s less about positional competition and more about playoff preparation.
Brown Out
Antonio Brown has had some phenomenal games this year, but character issues have proved to be too much, and it’s not the first time that’s happened. Brown got national attention for leaving MetLife Stadium in the third quarter, taking his shirt off and waving to fans on the way out. Once the game was over, head coach Bruce Arians told the media Brown was “no longer a Buc,” although the decision ultimately falls into the hands of Buccaneers GM Jason Licht.
Grayson is the type of player that shows why having good roster depth and good scouting is important. When unexpected things happen, someone needs to step up, especially on a team in Super Bowl contention. Grayson has not only proved he can take on a larger workload, but now has better odds of returning to Tampa Bay in 2022. Originally a name that only the team’s closest followers would know, Grayson should be a key contributor for the offense moving forward.
