Going After A Receiver Wouldn’t Be A Bad Idea
February 21st, 2025
Thinking maybe a receiver?
Bucs legend Mike Evans will be 32 next month. As fans saw last year, he still is superior. But age is slowly creeping up on Evans.
Notice how he needed to take more time off to heal his hamstring injuries than before? The Bucs lost every game Evans was inactive due to his bum hamstring, which included losses to Atlanta, Kansas City and San Francisco.
While “this Joe” doesn’t think the Bucs should break the bank for a receiver or select one in the first two days of the draft, it wouldn’t be a dumb move if Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht found a competent receiver to add to the receiver corps.
Well, with Jalen McMillan, Joe wants to see how he does next season. There was a lot to like about McMillan’s rookie year. Here’s the catch, though (no pun intended).
Defensive coordinators noticed McMillan was hotter than a firecracker as the season ended. Now, those same coordinators have all offseason to hatch a plan to slow him down.
Football is a game of adjustments. Can McMillan adjust? There’s a cautionary tale currently on the Bucs roster.
Trey Palmer looked like he was about to be a dangerous receiver after 39 catches as a rookie. Former offensive coordinator Dave Canales primarily used Palmer as a go-route receiver, Liam Coen tried to make Palmer a more well-rounded receiver last year.
Palmer never seemed comfortable in his new role. In fact, off the top of Joe’s head, the only big play Palmer made last season was when he was on the field with the rally duck. You know, when J.J. Russell returned a blocked punt for a score?
Most rookies who become successful make a jump from their rookie year to Year 2. Joe is curious to see how McMillan plays now that he’s on defensive coordinators’ radars.
Sterling Shepard was just meh. He made plays (32 catches) and he made some really dumb moves, too. With Shepard, it seemed every good play he made was negated by a dumb play.
So yeah, adding a receiver to the mix for the Bucs wouldn’t be a bad call. Especially if Chris Godwin bolts.
February 21st, 2025 at 12:10 am
I’m sure all 14 teams playing the Bucs this year are spending the offseason game planning how they can stop Jalen McMillan.
I think you are spot on Joe that they should wait til after the 1st 2 rounds to draft a 4th WR option and at least the 7th option when considering all offensive skill positions.
February 21st, 2025 at 12:15 am
If all three levels of the defense have been addressed by the end of day two (including the work done during FA), I’ll allow it.
Seriously, assuming that Godwin is back in the fold, there are too many other areas to look at for the team. Again, if Jason sees someone that he thought would be snagged in round 2 sitting out there on day three, go for it but otherwise ILB, DB, IOL, …
February 21st, 2025 at 12:26 am
Thank you!
February 21st, 2025 at 12:28 am
Palmer is not a polished receiver. he needs to improve his route running.
February 21st, 2025 at 12:41 am
I think you’re overstating the whole hatching a plan to slow down McMillan thing. Jesus, decent rookie year. He didn’t set the world on fire exactly. But a promising start. I think on our roster they are concentrating on other weapons. Primarily. McMillan will be in the mix, but I don’t think any defensive coordinator is losing sleep over him.
February 21st, 2025 at 1:05 am
The following is an incomplete sentence:
“Here’s the catch, though (no pun intended).”
Does anyone edit?
February 21st, 2025 at 1:08 am
Damn you even started a new paragraph after that. God this is the product of defunding education in this country for decades…
February 21st, 2025 at 1:40 am
Bucs could and should pick a receiver – in any round – IF that receiver is clearly the BPA on Licht’s board at that moment.
But there are many other needs (CB, OLB, ILB, Safety, OG) – so it shouldn’t be too hard to go BPA in just about any round.
In Licht we trust…..
February 21st, 2025 at 1:45 am
If Licht doesn’t scrap his conservative ways and add a defense that can compete this season then it may be time for him to go. Anyone can win with Tom Brady … take that away then what’s he done the last decade ? Some great draft picks and a ok team in a really bad division!
February 21st, 2025 at 1:46 am
Yes it would be a terrible mistake if they did this. Including if they lost or let go of CG, because imo this draft is absolutely garbage and weak when it comes to the WR group. Lot of decent middle round average so so prospects, but elite WRs first round talent maybe 1-2 guys and that’s a huge maybe. Egbeku probably should be a 2nd rd guy. Over inflated hype, the only guy I would want is ,
The Hawaiian dude. He’s projecting top-8. Luther burden not shit. We can wait it out.
Draft all defense and then a punter. Do not lose sight of future years long term potential and growth.
February 21st, 2025 at 1:54 am
^ Jason doesnt scheme, design or call the plays….
February 21st, 2025 at 2:04 am
So what I heard from the Joe-Joes is that the Celine Deon loving GM has made some bad draft decisions regarding wide receivers lately. (As always, any time anyone says anything negative about JL the Joe-Joes delete it.)
February 21st, 2025 at 3:05 am
“take that away then what’s he done the last decade ? Some great draft picks and a ok team in a really bad division!”
Three straight Division titles!!! It’s not the Bucs fault people perceive the NFC South as a weak division. Where were all the whiners when the great Brady Patriot teams were rolling through a weak division every year?
The record has IMPROVED the past three years in a row!
The Bucs have found a franchise QB and a franchise RB and they’ve rebuilt the OL into a top five unit. They did all of this despite the handicap of digging out from salary cap hell, the mortgage to win the second SB.
Those are all FACTS. The whiners can continue to complain but they offer NO facts. IE anybody can say a Division is weak but only ONE team gets to claim the actual title.
BTW Just 5 years ago a team that finished SECOND in their Division won the SB. Recall that the Bucs finished behind N.O. in the “crappy” division when they won their second SB!
Again a FACT!
February 21st, 2025 at 3:06 am
“Damn you even started a new paragraph after that. God this is the product of defunding education in this country for decades…”
You need a comma after “Damn” and “God” respectively, Mr. Hemingway. And unless you’re Louis Ferdinand Celine you probably shouldn’t be punctuating with an ellipses.
Oh yeah – Bowles sux
February 21st, 2025 at 4:10 am
St Pete,
I don’t see eye to with much of your points of view but I gotta say you couldn’t be more Spot On than your statement above.
Jason Licht is by Very Far the Very Best GM we’ve EVER had! Period…….
What was our picking position last season’s draft? 26th I think. And even though with the back of the bus opportunities he’s had to take shots, he just Keeps on Finding WINNERS draft after draft, year after year. And might I say he continually has HUGE SUCCESS in the toughest rounds at the back of the bus ALL THE TIME!
Has he been perfect? Of course not. But this is a Glaring “COME ON MAN” moment for some who I’d like to know whom they’d pick to replace our Immensely Successful GM with?
Btw, that unrealistic choice (if they can actually drum up a realistic and available candidate to replace him with) well they will have to be judge apples to apples. THEY WILL ALSO HAVE TO START WITH THE 50 million dollar deficit for 3 straight years, and (according to these confused few) can and WILL put the top 10 quality draft picks on this team, drafting in the back of the line.
Who is this drafting savant that nobody else in the world can seem to find? NOBODY!
GET REAL! We are Seriously Blessed to have Jason Licht pulling rabbits out of his hat year after year, broke as a joke, living in the back of the line DUE TO Massive success btw!
Like I said, some of you are just a bit miss guided and apparently living in your own Idaho if you seriously believe that he should be sent kicking rocks!
Now that we have the tab paid down quite a bit AND everybody just got a huge raise, we’ll I imagine that All of our concerns (for the most part) will be successfully addressed.
And I’ll tell you what, pressure SHOULD BE applied however to make sure that what we need becomes a reality. I’ll go along with that. And this year, I have a feeling that we won’t have to wait long. But to call the By Far Best “Ring of Honor” GM we’ve ever had a failure and he should be shown the door is CHILDISH!
February 21st, 2025 at 5:12 am
Walter Cherepinsky … ‘Wide Receiver: The Buccaneers could stand to add some depth at receiver behind Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan if Chris Godwin leaves via free agency’.
Hard to argue with Walter’s logic IF Chris Godwin leaves. ME13 has never been a high-completion receiver, and McMillan seems somewhat fragile to me (13 games last season?). Palmer, Jarrett, Miller & Johnson are next in-line, and none of the 4 strike me as being a #2 or #3 receiver. Shep is a UFA, and I wonder if the Bucs will even re-sign him. Right now there are 65 UFA WRs available, of whom Sterling Shepard is one. Wouldn’t hurt to kick the tires on several of those FAs.
But what IF Bucs are able to re-sign Godwin? I still think it’d be a good idea to grab a possession-receiver in FA. Would much rather see us use the draft for defense & to grab an OLineman at some point (probably Rnd 4-5). Bucs need a CB, at least 1 ILB, a DT/NT, and a Safety and those should be Rnds 1-4. Would much rather grab an Edge (another huge need) in free agency.
February 21st, 2025 at 5:28 am
What?
February 21st, 2025 at 5:38 am
Stranger things have happened Joe. I am not yet a big McMillan fan…yet. So taking a receiver would not give me the “What are they doing?”
That leads me to .. We got lots more needs on the other side of the ball. We need to find replacements for LVD and Shaq, apparently Whitehead and Dean as well. Dennis a starter?
Go Bucs!
February 21st, 2025 at 5:44 am
Joe your program doesn’t like a word in my way pared down posts. Several attempts to edit out any even slightly offensive words or phrases have yielded the same result.
Frustrating
Go Bucs
February 21st, 2025 at 5:53 am
Palmer can’t break tackles.
He should not return punts.
He will get hurt one day. He’s very skinny.
I want a punt returner who is strong enough to break the first tackle.
Gunners are normally corners.
So we need a punt returner who is strong enough to break the tackle of a gunner.
Palmer can’t do that.
I want to see a bigger punt returner next year
February 21st, 2025 at 6:21 am
Thank you for the Walter article. I haven’t had the chance to read through all the teams but this article is right on point about the Bucs. Yes, a punter – “Tampa Bay had some of the worst punting in the NFL last year.” None of it are bad ideas and we have faith in Jason to make the right moves.
February 21st, 2025 at 6:36 am
NOOOO we need defense. More than anything else.
February 21st, 2025 at 8:46 am
Hope Jmac stays hot. As well as Bucky. DCs will plan for him too.
February 21st, 2025 at 9:48 am
If Godwin re-signs, WR is not a priority. J-Mac as a #3 next year is already a great mismatch. A 4th rounder or something you wanna argue for? Sure.
February 21st, 2025 at 10:21 am
Me too Gerro… Every day I have a post that gets non-posted… I am not one to use vulgar language, and I don’t try and be a JA, but mine are also non-posted….
Maybe we are lucky?
February 21st, 2025 at 10:24 am
37 rec, 461 yds, and Eight (8) TDs. Dude is a player.
The Grizz (new OC) will probably scheme his passing plays to playmakers in this order:
1) Bucs Legend Michael Evans
2) Bucs All-Time Great Christopher Godwin (no brainer to re-sign)
3) Bucky / Rachaad
4) McMillan / Otton
I’d prefer to look sunny-side up and say that J-Mac will take a 2nd year jump rather than defensive coordinators keying in stopping our likely 4th/5th passing option.
Love your content Joes. Keep making takes, they often become my own!
February 21st, 2025 at 11:00 am
This is all contingent on Godwin.
If he signs with us again, we push investing premium draft capital 1 year down the line.
Assuming that is the case then we go best CB, Edge,ILB we can get in rounds 1 to 3, unless we get a good starter at one of those positions in free agency or trade 1 of those picks for say Hendrickson.
I am ok gambling on a pick after round 3 for a receiver coming off injury or from a smaller school with great metrics who we can develop….
If Godwin isn’t back, then we will need a replacement and the free agency pool is not the best….In that situation I would use a pick in top 2 round to get a dominant WR and then make sure to get a key starter on defense who I would have drafted otherwise in that same round.
February 21st, 2025 at 11:23 am
“Going after a receiver” is fine. We could use a solid #4 and/or a guy to develop. What would definitely NOT be fine is “going after a receiver” on the first 2 days of the draft unless a SPECIAL talent slips to us. Particularly when we have a number of holes on D that need to be prioritized.
February 21st, 2025 at 1:35 pm
OK, grammar class. “Here’s the catch, though (no pun intended).”
That’s a sentence. The word “though” and the parenthetical phrase
can be ignored. The apostrophe replaces the letter “i” in the word
“is.” Thus, the core is “Here is the catch.” Subject? Check (the catch),
Verb? Check (is). Complete thought? Check (just say it out loud).
I confess to personally using non-sentences for rhetorical effect,
a perfectly acceptable practice among adult writers. And before you
attack, “to personally using” is not splitting an infinitive.
February 21st, 2025 at 2:36 pm
I really like McMillan and was pumping him up as most of the people in the comments here were starting to call him a bust like halfway through the season. But, with that said, I don’t think he’s a future #1 WR – not unless he can put on some size.
It’s really odd how much leaner McMillan looked in his Bucs uniform vs what I thought he looked like in college – where he reminded me much more of Godwin. But, side by side, Godwin looks like a monster compared to McMillan, a much bigger difference than what I expected. That’s not a knock, but again, I’d really like to see him put on muscle if he can do so while not losing his speed / quickness. Still, worse case, McMillan is a top flight #3 WR – worse case.
But you need at least three WRs who can start – and even if Godwin comes back, based on his injury history, and Mike’s age, you need to be prepared if you’re trying to make a run now.
If there’s a big run on edge rushers – don’t just take someone to take someone, use that run to help out elsewhere. Also, I kinda like some of the drafts I’ve seen where the Bucs trade back a few spots and take the top guard on the draft. Based on Licht’s history, if he took somewhere there, you know they’re going to be star – and you should have one of the very very best offensive lines in the NFL for years to come. So just something to keep in mind.
February 21st, 2025 at 4:25 pm
Are we ok going into 2025 at TE? Will Otton continue to get better? Did Durham develop enough last year as a blocker and receiver and prove he can get open? Will Culp get better? Do we need to look at Free Agent TEs? Can’t see us drafting a TE 4 years in a row…
February 22nd, 2025 at 9:15 am
I honestly think that buckey is what most of the defense from other teams will be plotting to take away more so than j Mac since if they take our run game away then the Bucs will be one dimensionally and much easier to stop, so let’s hope Buckey has a great 2nd season since him busting through holes will open up play action and those big gains J Mac was getting last year.