As the potential return of Bucs wide receiver Antonio Brown looms, the team faces a logjam at receiver. Currently, Tampa has six wideouts on the roster with AB suspended and no real surplus at any other position to cut. Would the Bucs keep seven receivers on the roster this late into the season? If the answer to that question is yes, where do they turn?

Steve McLendon has been a healthy scratch multiple times this season. But when the bodies start banging in the playoffs, they’ll probably want him as a security blanket. Ke’Shawn Vaughn seems like an unlikely candidate for multiple reasons, especially after Giovani Bernard landed on injured reserve. With Aaron Stinnie on IR, Nick Leverett becomes critical depth. And while they could look to the secondary once fully healthy, the injuries in that unit over the season may make the team hesitate to cut anyone.

So what am I getting at here? Well the most logical position to trim down is wide receiver. Scotty Miller’s recent healthy scratch has a lot of people wondering what his future in Tampa is. Since returning to the roster after missing nine games due to turf toe, the third year receiver has only 8 offensive snaps over two games. Adding to the intrigue is the amount of snaps Breshad Perriman has seen in that time after joining the team five weeks ago. Pair those concerns with Perriman’s game winning touchdown, and there are questions what Miller’s role will be going forward.

Bucs WR Breshad Perriman – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

On Bucs Total Access, team reporter Casey Philips asked Bruce Arians why Miller was a healthy scratch.

“Breshad brings some explosiveness like Scotty, but in a bigger package,” Arians said. “Scotty, we know what he can do. It’s just a matter of being able to block. Both [Tyler Johnson and Perriman] are blockers in the run game. And that’s the position they play. So it pans out that way.”

Does that make Miller the odd man out on the roster? Bruce has criticized him in the past for being a one-trick pony and wanting him to make the grimy catches. Does the fact that Perriman is bigger, maybe faster and a better blocker give the veteran a leg up? The Bucs could try and get creative, keeping all seven receivers on the roster. But it would be a tough feat to accomplish.

The most likely outcome for Tampa Bay is the eventual release of a defensive back. Dee Delaney or Pierre Desir seem most likely to get cut. With one roster spot open due to Bernard’s injury, the Bucs only need to make one move. It seems logical a defensive back would be released with Edwards returning from suspension and Jordan Whitehead coming back from injury. Of course, the Bucs could also just elect to cut Brown outright.

Still, Miller’s future with the Bucs is clearly in doubt. Once proven to be critical, valuable depth, Miller has now become an afterthought. Will he stick on the Bucs roster heading into the postseason? Whatever the outcome, it will be a storyline to watch as Brown is eligible to return to the team next week.