Buccaneers need offensive leader to shake off bad stretch

The Buccaneers have been struggling at the wide receiver position over the past few weeks. Most of that starts and stops with Mike Evans.

The Buccaneers offense is off to one of its worst starts in franchise history. This comes as a cold slap in the face after nearly a decade of above-average to excellent offensive production against any and every defense in the league.

A lot of blame has gone around for this foul start, from offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to the offensive line and its recent changes, but one name that has seemed to miss most of the blame is wide receiver and offensive captain Mike Evans.

Evans likely misses a huge chunk of the blame (and perhaps rightfully so) due to his status as the best offensive player in franchise history and one of the most important players for the team ever, but his play in recent weeks has been concerning.

There have been far too many key drops that make no sense. Wide open throws that should go for touchdowns have hit the ground after being bobbled. Evans seems shaken on the field between his numerous nagging injuries and his disappointment in his recent run of play.

Tampa’s star wide receiver currently has four drops on the season. This is twice as many as he had in 2021 and is the same amount that he had for a whole season back in 2020. Four may not seem like a lot, but it is extremely out of the ordinary for a guy that has made a career on making anything and everything in the offense work.

The drops and miscues have to stop from the quarterback-wide receiver duo if the Buccaneers want to get back to their spot atop the NFL. That starts with Mike Evans getting back into form as one of the best wide receivers in the league.

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