Buccaneers Round Table: What about Adam Humphries?
David Harrison
Before I write what I’m about to write, I want to write one thing first: I’m absolutely a huge fan of Adam Humphries and everything he’s accomplished with the Buccaneers.
This being said, you can guess what’s coming next. Unless Humphries can prove he’s got a future as a return man, he won’t be with the Bucs when they enter the 2020 season at the latest.
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Believe me, if I’m wrong, I’ll be happy. However, if I’m wrong, then one of two things has likely happened. First, it means Chris Godwin has not developed into the strong receiver he looks like he will. Second, it means the receivers the Bucs bring in between now and then through free-agency and the NFL Draft will have busted. Neither is a plus. So really, as a team, the only good option is for Humphries to become expendable sooner rather than later.
DeSean Jackson has a couple more years in him. Mike Evans has the talent to make the Pro Bowl ever year and has the beginnings of a Hall of Fame career. Chris Godwin has impressed in his limited action, and fellow rookie O.J. Howard looks like the tight end of the future for Tampa Bay.
I’ve been begging all year to see a formation of Evans on the outside with Godwin, Jackson in the slot, Howard inline as a tight end and Doug Martin in the backfield.
It hasn’t happened quite yet, but man, it should definitely become a reality in 2018. Larry Fitzgerald has shown veteran receivers it’s ok to move into the slot as they get older, and may in fact help extend their careers.
Jackson wants to win. He came to Tampa Bay to play with Jameis Winston and win football games. In 2018, the best six players outside the offensive line will be exactly the formation I described above.
How can this not become a reality? Beyond this, the Buccaneers are sure to draft or sign more speed options in the next year or two. Bobo Wilson may just develop into a contributor with game-breaking speed, and let’s be honest, his presence doesn’t help Humphries either.
If all this becomes a reality, then Humphries simply won’t get the playing time he deserves or paid what he can in Tampa, elsewhere. He may not even make it to 2018 with the Bucs though, either.
As a restricted free-agent this next off-season, I don’t think the team will put a second-round tender on him. This means he’ll be free to negotiate, and the best we can hope for is a right to first refusal for the Bucs. Even then, the price tag may be too big for a team like San Francisco who may be looking for a poor man’s Julian Edelman to go with Jimmy Garoppolo.
His production was primed to spike here in his third full season with Winston, but since his franchise quarterback got hurt, his own numbers have suffered. He’s now on track over the last three games to fall well short of his initial projections.
This will make tendering him significantly difficult, and the option to overpay by another franchise may be too real for the Buccaneers to handle.
Thanks for reading this week’s round table on the future of Buccaneers fan favorite Adam Humphries.
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