Mike Evans is one of the biggest legends in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history, and the iconic No. 13 has been missed badly over the past several weeks. The Bucs offense - and really their entire team as a whole - looks like a shell of itself without the big man catch contested passes and making life easier for both quarterback Baker Mayfield and the rest of the wide receivers.
Even Chris Godwin's return from injury hasn't kick started things for the Buccaneers offense. They put up just seven last week in a prime time blow out loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and then they could only muster 20 as they barely beat a truly putrid Arizona Cardinals team this Sunday.
Evans's return could not come soon enough for this Bucs offense, as he has been out with a broken collarbone since a fateful Week 7 encounter with the Detroit Lions. With word that he is expected to return sooner than initially thought and could even be back within a week or two.
Emeka Egbuka needs more consistency
Again, that would be a massive development for this entire Bucs offense, and while it will take targets away from rookie No. 3 receiver Emeka Egbuka, the return of the Texas A&M product will be a boon for the Ohio State phenom, too.
Egbuka was the de facto No. 1 receiver with Evans and Godwin out, and while he had a few big games, he had been struggling quite a bit in recent weeks. Now, a lot of that was down to Baker Mayfield not being at his best and even missing some pretty easy throws to "Egbigboo", but, look, Egbuka has to take accountability for his low catch rate.
And on the accountability subject, a receiver is always accountable for their own drops. Egbuka left a lot of meat on the bone in recent weeks, including in this tough win over the Cardinals, by dropping passes that were very catchable. Egbuka is a talented and explosive receiver with all the potential to become one of the best in the NFL, and he's already a good player.
Evans, though, is the benchmark, and there's a reason why. He outlasted players from his class like Allen Robinson, Odell Beckham Jr., Sammy Watkins, and others who looked like evne more talented players at the start of their careers, and that's because Evans understood that being available, being consistent, being open, and catching your passes is what makes someone truly great. Egbuka needs to watch Evans work more closely when he's back in the lineup and learn how to be that professional, because he's clearly not quite there yet.