Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ receiver Mike Evans is still focused on adding yards after catch to his repertoire.
We heard it last off-season and we’re hearing it again this off-season. Mike Evans is focused on gaining yards after catch this season to add a new element to his game and improve the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ passing offense. It’s become kind of an Achilles heel for Evans as he has become the receiver that will win jump balls or make spectacular catches then immediately fall to the ground rather than turning up field and gaining more yards.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with being a possession receiver. Evans has done so in an amazing fashion thus far in his career, gaining over 1,000 yards in each season since joining the league. However, if he’s finally going to break through and be in the conversation with the likes of Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones, and DeAndre Hopkins as the best receiver in football then he has to add this element to his game. Otherwise, he will remain in that second tier of great receivers but not elite.
Evans spoke about this with the media earlier this week and knows the importance of what he can add if he’s able to improve the YAC;
"“As far as YAC (yards after catch), it wasnt my worst year playing, maybe my second worse, but YAC, my yards after catch wasn’t as good. I don’t know what it was. I guess my awareness wasn’t where it should’ve been. I’ve just got to work on it more in practice and get more reps at it.”"
For his career, Evans has 711 yards after catch with his career low coming last season (115). It averages out to 2.3 yards after catch during his career for each reception. That number absolutely has to go up this season.
Again, we heard these kinds of things last season. It was going to be a focus, an improvement, a new facet of his game. Instead, it was the lowest of his career. We don’t need to hear about it anymore – we need to see it.
We need to see the effort, the attempt to turn around and move up field for more yards – not catch the ball and go straight to the ground. There are a lot of things this team needs to improve this season and it’s the same things we’ve heard them talk about needing to improve the last two, three, four years. It’s time to finally see these changes come to fruition.
Don’t talk about it, Bucs. Be about it.