The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been dealing with their fair share of injuries this offseason but the position that's been hit the hardest is wide receiver. Fortunately, Chris Godwin will be activated off the PUP list and should be ready to go by October, per Adam Schefter.
The unfortunate news is that Jalen McMillan will miss a lengthy amount of time due to a neck injury. McMillan landing on IR to start the season likely saved Trey Palmer from officially being put on the trade block as he previously didn't look to be a lock to make the roster.
Well, now that McMillan won't be on the roster, that opens a spot that Palmer can fill. Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, and Tez Johnson will be the starters until Godwin is able to slide back into his starting role but Palmer will serve as valuable depth for Baker Mayfield and the rest of the Buccaneers offense.
Trey Palmer’s Buccaneers future looks safer than ever
A former sixth-round pick out of Nebraska in 2023, there were more expectations for Palmer to produce in Tampa than what's typical of sixth-rounders. Palmer showed some explosiveness as a rookie in 2023 and finished that year with 385 yards and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games.
His follow-up season was disappointing, to say the least. Palmer had just 12 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown during his second year in the league and with the wide receiver help the Bucs picked up this offseason, it wouldn't have been surprising if the team was fine with sending Palmer elsewhere and getting something for him while they still could.
Things don't always play out the way teams hope, however, and with the injury to McMillan, the Bucs truly are in a situation now where they need to keep Palmer. This isn't to say that Palmer still couldn't be traded later in the season but right now, Tampa needs to keep him to ensure they have depth at wide receiver.
Hopefully, Palmer can transform into the late-round steal the Buccaneers were hoping he could be when they drafted him and it appears he'll have at least one more shot at doing just that.