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About the Author: Zach Shapiro

Avatar Of Zach Shapiro
Zach is entering his 3rd year covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a writer for PewterReport.com. Since 2014, he's handled a large part of the beat reporting responsibilities at PR, attending all media gatherings and publishing and promoting content daily. Zach is a native of Sarasota, FL, and a graduate of the University of Tampa. He has also covered high school football for the Tampa Tribune and the NFL for Pro Player Insiders. Contact him at: [email protected]

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Tampa Bay brought back Donteea Dye in the wake of Vincent Jackson’s season-ending ACL injury, but don’t expect to see much of the second-year wide receiver this Sunday in San Francisco.

Speaking after practice Friday, head coach Dirk Koetter said Dye still needs to knock the rust off. Dye, who caught 10 passes for 127 yards last season, was waived with an injury settlement in August and didn’t rejoin a team until Monday.

“Not ready, that’s what I say,” Koetter said. “And I don’t mean any disrespect. I’d say he’s not quite ready.

“He’s familiar with everything. He knows what he’s doing. It’s just guys who miss four or six weeks, they can train all they want, but it’s just always different,” Koetter said. “Running with the trainers, running on your own – it’s just different when you get out here and there are 21 other guys on the field with you.”

Koetter also reminded reporters that Dye was rehabbing his hamstring during his time off, not sitting at home on his couch. The move to bring him back as opposed to another receiver, Koetter said, had a lot to do with familiarity, but Dye’s not quite there physically.

That said, outside of Mike Evans and Adam Humphries the Bucs will presumably look to receivers like Russell Shepard, who has three receptions for 22 yards this year, and Cecil Shorts, who’s set to return from a strained hamstring suffered on his first catch, this Sunday against the 49ers.

Shorts played for Koetter in Jacksonville for a season while Shepard, a special teams ace, was productive in the Bucs first preseason game (three catches for 62 yards), but has rarely been used since. It’s also worth noting that Shepard’s only touchdown last season came in Philadelphia – against Chip Kelly’s team.

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