I have been pondering this one for a minute. Wide receiver was one of the groups where I was scared by the lack of depth for the Buccaneers last season. Fortunately, that never reared its head.
While the Bucs wideouts didn’t exactly light the world on fire, they were far from the worst. And indeed, there were some pleasant surprises, like David Moore. However, just because they did well last year, does not mean that will continue.
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First, let’s make the argument for keeping the WR corp as is. Mike Evans will most likely be coming back. Though a deal has not been done yet, I have to imagine it is in the works. Evans came off yet another 1,000 yard season, surprising only the people that haven’t been paying attention On top of that, Chris Godwin was still really good (despite a down tick in TDs) and if Liam Coen moves him back to primarily the slot, he will probably have over 100 receptions. Trey Palmer I expect to make a leap from year one to two. So, they have a solid top three.
However, that is where the issues are. If Evans comes back, he will be in his 30s. There have been plenty of WRs to play well past their 30s, but that doesn’t make it the rule. Not saying Evans will, or is even likely to, fall off a cliff, but the possibility can’t be ignored. If Evans goes down, that really throws the WR room into chaos.
The reason they a good passing attack is because the WRs stayed relatively healthy. They can’t continue to rely on that. It is unrealistic to expect players to not get injured. Godwin is good and can be WR1, but I am not yet positive Moore or Palmer can be a WR2. Even if Palmer makes a leap.
So what is the answer? Do the Buccaneers Need to draft or sign a wide receiver in free agency? No. Wide receiver is far from the biggest need on this team, but if a good one were to fall, I think Jason Licht will take a chance. If for example a guy like Johnny Wilson were to fall to the third or to get really crazy, the 4th, I would be happy. A guy with a lot of tools that can learn behind Evans. The Bucs WR room was a surprising strength in 2023. Let’s hope that continues.
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