Buccaneers miss perfect opportunity to trade for some wide receiver help

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to injuries, the hope was that the team would figure out a way to make up for it and keep the offense on track. One of the ways some thought that might happen was through a trade, but it appears that the Bucs will roll the dice they already have rather than try to add any new ones.

Nothing confirmed that more than Tampa Bay sitting out what could have been an easy trade to make with an old friend.

The Carolina Panthers are going nowhere this season, and as a result Diontae Johnson's name has popped up in trade rumors for teams looking at wide receiver help. Tampa Bay firmly falls into that category and might have even had a bit of an inside track given that Dave Canales is now the head coach in Carolina.

Johnson was traded, just not to the Bucs and the price paid to land him has some fans wondering why Jason Licht didn't try to make a move.

Buccaneers miss out on affordable Diontae Johnson trade

On Tuesday the Baltimore Ravens acquired Johnson from Carolina in exchange for a fifth round pick. Not only did the Ravens get Johnson, but the Panthers sent a sixth-round pick to Baltimore as part of the deal.

It was a very easy deal for the Bucs to match if they wanted to, even knowing how much Licht values his draft picks. Of all the trade ideas that have been tossed out, this one seems to line up the most with what a realistic deal could have looked like for the Bucs. They'd essentially move down nine spots in the draft to land a guy who instantly becomes WR1 and further helps the offense when Mike Evans returns.

Had the Bucs made this trade, this is what the wide receiver room would have looked like when fully healthy:

That's pretty darn good, and given the way Baker Mayfield has been playing and how Liam Coen has called the offense it likely would have gone a long way.

Instead, the Bucs stood pat, of course, assuming this was a similar deal the Panthers would have extended to Tampa Bay. Baltimore isn't a division rival so there's a chance the Bucs would have been asked to pay a premium. We've seen inter-division trades in the past, but it seems we won't see the Bucs making any trades before the deadline passes.

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