Backup Receivers Reveal Team Depth
August 13th, 2022
Deven Thompkins stuck in numbers game.
The Bucs have sick depth at receiver. What spooks Joe is thinking the same thing last year and look how that turned out.
The best player Saturday night in the 26-24 loss to the Dolphins to open the unnecessary preseason? Probably Tyler Johnson. The third-year receiver from Minnesota put on a show. He has been having a helluva training camp and that carried over into the game.
But two receivers unlikely to make the roster balled out Saturday night and showed just how deep the Bucs are at that position.
Jerreth Sterns had a beautiful catch from an even better pass by Kyle Trask. You won’t see that many better in the regular season. Trask timed the throw perfectly, leading Sterns who made a difficult over-the-shoulder catch as the ball hit him right in the hands.
Joe doesn’t think Sterns — who last year at Western Kentucky had one of the greatest seasons for a receiver in NCAA history — has had a good enough camp to make this loaded roster. He’s dropped way too many passes. As deep as the receiver position is, every mistake is magnified.
A receiver who would make just about any team other than the Bucs is Deven Thompkins. The Fort Myers native and Utah State product has had a damn good training camp but Joe isn’t sure it is good enough to leapfrog Jaelon Darden, a favorite of influential members of the Bucs organization.
Thompkins caught a clutch long pass down the right seam to set up the Bucs to attempt a game-winning field goal but the kick hit the upright.
If Sterns can put together a few practices with catches as nice as he had Saturday night, maybe he has a prayer of making the team. Joe doubts it.
With Thompkins? He’s had a fine camp and a fine game but unless the Bucs trade a receiver or two, he won’t make the squad.
But Saturday showed Bucs fans how friggin’ deep that position is.
August 13th, 2022 at 11:01 pm
It was quite the show for sure. Going to be many tough decisions coming ahead.
August 13th, 2022 at 11:03 pm
Crazy deep. Keep seven, actually eight, if they stash Godwin on IR to start the season. Hopefully they can get some of the prospects back on the practice squad. Receiver needy teams will be licking their chops.
August 13th, 2022 at 11:04 pm
Hope they can keep
A few on the practice squad.
August 13th, 2022 at 11:04 pm
Geiger had a good game as well tonight.
August 13th, 2022 at 11:08 pm
Joe – please get to the bottom of why White was still playing in the 2nd half. Is Vaughn really ahead of him on the depth chart, or are they just getting him reps because they want him to play early? He (mostly) looked like the best player on the field when he was out there.
August 13th, 2022 at 11:24 pm
Did Logan Hall play tonight? I like what I saw in Cade Otton n Ko Keift. Keift is a beast at blocking. McCollum gotta learn never to bite on the stop n go. Never allow a player to get behind u with an abundance of real estate between u n the receiver. Don Gardner need to be elevated on the depth chart over Ross Cockrell, Richard Robinson n Dee Delaney. I watched the Bills game n their third stringers played as if they were the starters. A sign of great coaching.
August 13th, 2022 at 11:24 pm
They were running routes vs 3rd and 4th stringers.
August 13th, 2022 at 11:29 pm
So Maniac the other day posted that he had first hand knowledge that Darden was pretty much a lock to make the roster. Maniac, while having a Convo with Goatfarmer even stated that Joe, if he had any connects in the org, knows this too. Goatfarmer accused Maniac of not having this info, even though I offered to share this info with him(redacted of course). Maniac even stated that even though people think Scotty is a favorite of Brady, that Brady is actually a huge fan of Darden. Now Joe states that Darden is a favorite of influential members of the Bucs org….🤔🤔🤔🤔
August 14th, 2022 at 12:24 am
Joe wrote last week the way White is getting better each day, catches and runs and blocks, he’s likely the RB2.
August 14th, 2022 at 12:38 am
Man you guys get a hard on for what is basically a college all-star game. 40% of the guys that played tonight won’t make a NFL team.
August 14th, 2022 at 1:03 am
The backup receivers collectively looked better tonight than any preseason. Really sucks that a number of these guys will be competing against the Bucs later on.
Tyler Johnson is a lock to be 5th. He looked good even if against the truck drivers in the Dolphins secondary.
Maniac is bloviating about Darden, who had one catch. Scotty was just as wide open on the TD, Gabbert chose Darden. Amazing he caught the pass. Maniac – your love interest is going to be pushed hard by these second half guys. Sterns, Thompkins, Geiger all showed out. Bug Howard sucks though.
Miller still makes the team over Darden. Why? Tom Brady that’s why.
August 14th, 2022 at 1:17 am
@Goatfarmer, if it’s Brady choice, it would be Darden. Scotty won’t be on this final roster at all.
August 14th, 2022 at 1:28 am
I like most of them…but they can’t all make the team.
Off topic, I wonder if Brady is working on Gronk…
August 14th, 2022 at 2:22 am
Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
August 14th, 2022 at 1:28 am
“I’m done with football.” –Gronk
Take the man at his word and move on.
August 14th, 2022 at 4:44 am
Guarantee the wideouts that don’t make the 53 will be swept up by other teams before they make it to the PS
August 14th, 2022 at 5:42 am
Maybe Brady has been working out with Gronk
August 14th, 2022 at 6:47 am
Trask showed enough last night where we don’t need to waste a PS spot on Griffin this year. The choke artist kicker we don’t need to waste protecting him on the PS anymore. Sterns, and Thompkins if no team claims them, I’d protect on the PS if they keep it up.
August 14th, 2022 at 6:58 am
If you are incredibly deep at a particular position group that is coveted by every NFL team and cannot keep all the players in that position group-What should you do? A. Try to sneak one on to the practice squad? Sure. B. Trade some talent before you have to let them go for nothing and build up some much needed draft capital.
August 14th, 2022 at 7:39 am
White looked good…..reminds me a bit of Charles Sims…….
And, there we go again…..trying to pound it up the middle on 1st down….time after time….getting stuffed…..take the pressure off our QBs & let them play action on 1st downs, Byron.
August 14th, 2022 at 7:43 am
This is by far the deepest WR group in the league. There are gonna be several other teams waiting on cut down day to swoop a couple of these guys right up.
August 14th, 2022 at 8:06 am
I don’t have the NFL Network so I watched the 10 minutes highlights. And based strictly on that, wanna guess where the Buc’s weakness is??????????????????????????????????????????????????? Well? I’m waiting. COME ON, don’t be bashfull The secondary getting screwed without a condom. If the Bucs have a defensive coach he/she needs to sit down with the corners and safeties and speak to them like he/she is Kamala Harris
August 14th, 2022 at 9:14 am
@alton green, so you watched 10 mins of highlights and are ready to toss away all our 3rd and 4th string players in the secondary? Ok, gotcha..
August 14th, 2022 at 12:44 pm
Bucs secondary last night was better than Dolphins secondary.
and the Dolphins had a good secondary last year. So, no not concerned.
August 14th, 2022 at 1:27 pm
Tyler johnson and Darden look MUCH better this year.
I like the suddenness of Geiger. He looks like a tough cover.
August 14th, 2022 at 5:45 pm
I know Julio is a future hall of famer but we are going to regret losing one of these young inexpensive players to make TB happier for one year. I wish they could see the future last night. Julio is the past. It’s the smart play. Belichick will be waiting with open arms.
August 14th, 2022 at 9:48 pm
@Alvafan, Julio likely pushed Miller, Perriman or Grayson off the roster. Those 3 would probably be gone after this year anyway. Julio signing has no impact on the younger guys. It was going to be hard to find roster spots or sneak them into the PS either way.
August 15th, 2022 at 9:37 am
I love this WRs group! It’s going to be hard to stash these guys on the practice squad. After watching these guys up close in practice this week, my guess is the Titans will steal a few of them as soon as the final roster cuts are made.
August 15th, 2022 at 9:46 am
@Goatfarmer: it seems like you’re the one with the love interest & bias with Miller because Darden is the #1 at returner, so he’s making the team. Most media reports have Darden as having a better showing than Miller this offseason. Also, I doubt Brady cares one way or another about a #7 WR being on the roster.