Adam Humphries proving he belongs with Buccaneers in 2019 and beyond

For the last two months, Adam Humphries has carved out a role as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers third receiving option. A new contract should be heading his way this offseason.

Think back to the beginning of the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were lighting up the scoreboard. Outdueling the New Orleans Saints and breaking NFL records.

In the background, Adam Humphries sat waiting for his opportunity. He caught seven passes for 65 yards in the first three games of the season. He was the Bucs fourth receiver and didn’t see the field often.

On paper, it didn’t look like Humphries had a path to contribute much more than that. He could be a primary weapon on other NFL rosters, but with the talent Tampa Bay has, he sat in the back seat.

Humphries has overcome the odds and inserted himself into the top of the pecking order yet again. Aside from Mike Evans, Humphries has arguably been the Bucs best receiver in the second half of the season.

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The former undrafted free agent ranks second on the team in receptions, third in yards and has four touchdowns in his last four games. Sliding in as the team’s primary slot receiver, Humphries has sure hands and has the trust of quarterback Jameis Winston.

What opened up the door for Humphries was DeSean Jackson‘s ineffectiveness of late and O.J. Howard‘s injury.

Howard was taking up a good chunk of the target share, so his absence will open the door for the rest of the Tampa Bay pass catchers.

In regards to Jackson, the Bucs quarterbacks haven’t been able to connect with him. Bucs fans criticized Jackson for not hustling after a ball late in the New York Giants game, but in last week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, Winston couldn’t place the ball in his area code.

Jackson received eight targets on Sunday. He only managed to catch three passes for 19 yards.

No matter where the fault lies, it’s clear that Jackson isn’t a reliable option anymore. Jackson now heads to New York to get a second opinion on a hand injury. Depending on the diagnosis, it could mark the end to Jackson’s career in Tampa Bay.

With the Buccaneers able to get out from under his three-year, $33.5 million contract there it doesn’t make much sense to bring him back. Especially with Humphries performing at this level.

Tampa Bay has their outside receivers for the future. Chris Godwin is a legitimate number two receiver and Evans is one of the ten best wideouts in the league. Humphries is the final piece to that puzzle. They tried to bring Jackson along, but the experiment has failed.

It is time to turn back to what has been there all along.

Humphries is entering free agency after this season. General manager Jason Licht needs to ensure he remains in Tampa. Humphries is still an unknown player around the league and shouldn’t be too expensive.

Even if a team decides to run up the price on the Clemson product, Licht needs to lock Humphries up. Humphries is one of the best-kept secrets in Tampa Bay. Hopefully, the Bucs keep it that way.