There are a ton of questions we still need answered about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, but the most exciting might be what happens with the wide receiver room.
Tampa Bay re-signed Chris Godwin in free agency and then used the No. 19 overall pick on Ohio State star Emeka Egbuka. Alongside Mike Evans, that's without a doubt one of the best three-man groups in the league, but the Bucs have even more depth behind them.
What happens there is where things will really get interesting at training camp. All of the excitement about the new group for the Bucs has made us forget about Jalen McMillan, but offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard is not among that group.
Josh Grizzard's comments suggest Jalen McMillan's roster spot is safe
Our friends over at JoeBucsFan heard Grizzard on the Rondé Barber Show recently, and one specific tidbit stood out. He mentioned Jalen McMillan by name and how he fits in with a stacked receiver room, which suggests his spot on the roster might be safe.
“I think that where [J-Mac] left last season and the progress he showed on and off the field, and you could see that carry over into the spring with not having Chris [Godwin] out there and bringing Emeka [Egbuka] along and him showing Emeka the ropes — then his ability to just do that and be himself and really just take off where he left off, then I think that would be huge if we were just going to actually circle one,” Grizzard said. “But you know how it is, at the end of the day, it takes all 11. And he’s in a good spot.”
A lot can happen between now and when the Bucs need to turn in their final 53-man roster, and wide receiver is one of the position battles to keep a close eye on at training camp. Last season Tampa Bay carried five receivers on the final roster, and at least three of those are already locked in.
McMillan has been penciled in as the fourth, given how young he still is and the investment the Bucs made to get him, but nothing is certain. It does seem that Grizzard's comments suggest we can start marking McMillan down in ink, and that's probably for the best.
Tampa Bay already has that solid top three, and adding the explosive upside of McMillan only makes the offense more dangerous. Consider that Tez Johnson might be getting that last roster spot and all of a sudden Baker Mayfield has more than enough weapons to light things up once again.
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