After having an off day on Tuesday, the Bucs were back to practicing on Wednesday as they prepare for a great Week 6 matchup against the Lions this Sunday. An important figure for this game is wide receiver Mike Evans, who is trying to make his way back from a hamstring injury that forced him to leave in the second quarter of the Bucs’ Week 4 win over the Saints.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

Mike Evans’ Injury Status

On Monday, Evans ran individually with trainers as the rest of the Tampa Bay roster practiced together. But on Wednesday, he was nowhere to be found. Typically, the 10th-year receiver will come out to practice slightly after the Bucs begin their special teams drills, just as he did on Monday despite his injury. But he wasn’t seen at all this Wednesday during the part of practice that is open to the media.

Mike Evans has had more than a week to recover from his hamstring injury and he’s no stranger to dealing with this before. I wouldn’t freak out just yet, Bucs fans, as Evans doesn’t need as much time to ramp it up before Sunday.

Bucs Getting More Players Returning

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith and Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: USA Today

While the absence of Evans was unfortunate, the good news was that Tampa Bay looks to be getting relatively healthy, as some of its other injured players are on track to make a return to game action. First-round pick Calijah Kancey practiced again for the second time in a row.

Considering he hasn’t played since Week 1, Kancey would make an excellent addition to the defensive line if he’s able to go on Sunday. This would also make it his first game at home at Raymond James Stadium.

Cornerback Jamel Dean looked ready to go as well. He was warming up with Carlton Davis III as the team got into special teams drills. This dynamic duo hasn’t played together as a tandem since the first game of the season.

Staying in the secondary, Ryan Neal practiced once again as he works his way back from a concussion. He hit the ladder early on in practice and looked to be up to his usual game speed. As much as it’s important to get starters like Dean and Neal back, the Bucs can at least feel confident in their backups if they need to play for a long time again, as Zyon McCollum and Dee Delaney have played fantastic in their roles.

Tampa Bay’s Depth Looks To Be Expanding

Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Also practicing for the second time this week were inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis and cornerback Derrek Pitts.

Dennis instantly got back in on special teams, as he was seen doing kickoff coverage. Pitts can provide extra depth at corner for the Bucs after they were thin as a group two weeks ago.

Todd Bowles’ team will need as many available players as possible when it goes up against a Lions team that likes to be physical such as the Bucs do.

These are two first-place teams that could be jockeying for better playoff positioning later on in the NFC, so this one has a little more importance than your usual Week 6 game.