Jameis Winston isn’t the only leader on the offensive side of the ball for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Mike Evans has fully embraced his role.
This is setting up for a massive season for Mike Evans. The Buccaneers have added a plethora of weapons around Winston to take the pressure off Evans. Having done so, you would think Evans’ numbers would go down. On the contrary, Evans should remain as effective as he was in 2016 and firmly planting himself in that elite/top-tier receiver class.
Why?
Because Evans is going to do what he does without constantly being double and triple teamed leading to the one on one opportunities that often makes him impossible to stop. Evans discussed the addition of guys like DeSean Jackson, O.J. Howard, and Chris Godwin;
"“I’m going to be happy when I see it. Teams don’t do a good job of disguising – last year they didn’t – double teaming. I would see the safety over there, it would be one safety and he would be shaded to my side and I would get a lot of two-man and busted coverage. This year, if they do that, that’s fine with me because we have a lot of weapons that Jameis [Winston] can work with.”"
Beyond that, Evans has firmly cemented himself as the leader of the receiving corps, despite his age and professional experience. He’s the guy who is taking on that mentor role, taking it upon himself to ensure each guy knows what to do and who to turn to for help;
"” I’ve been a leader since I’ve been here along with ‘V-Jax’ [Vincent Jackson] and then ‘V-Jax’ got hurt earlier in the season last year. I was able to lead the guys, they’re older than me, but I’ve got more experience. We’ve got a lot of capable guys and it’s been fun with ‘D-Jax’ [DeSean Jackson] as well. He’s an experienced player and he brings a lot of swag and he’s fun to be around too.”"
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This team is emerging exactly how it should. The top overall picks from 2014 and 2015 weren’t just drafted because of their skill. They were drafted to be cornerstones of this team. The leadership that Evans and Winston will provide can go a long way in this franchise’s run at championship contention.