Maybe Patriots are better top to bottom with WRs 1-6 than what the Bucs have on paper.
Cowboys, Rams, Bengals, Steelers, Lions, Vikings, Seahawks, Jags, Broncos, Cardinals, and 49ers have very strong 1-2 duos. But not many of these teams have strong 1-2-3 triplets like the Bucs: Godwin-McMillan-Egbuka.
A lot of teams have a lot of unproven WRs and rookie WRs that could shake things up so we will see. But if Tez Johnson and Hurst progress as well then the Bucs have an edge over a lot of teams in the NFL with thei overallr WR group. So yeah top 5 WR group is very possible.
i think there's a sense of homer-ism going on though as it comes to our WR core.
Chris Godwin had 3 straight 1,000 yard seasons in 2021 through 2023. Dude was looking on pace for 1,400 yards in 2024 but suffered dislocated ankle which made him only play 7 games. Then last year, injury riddled year, looks liked running in mud but only played in 9 games and amassed 360 receiving yards. So yeah, we love us some Chris Godwin but until he shows it on the field here in 2026, he is a shell of his former self.
Jalen McMillan looked formidable his rookie season. 8 touchdowns. He missed 4 games however due to multiple hamstring injuries. Then obviously 2025 a concern with only playing in 4 games due to broken neck. Just like the great Mike Alstott, this dude is one tackle away from no longer playing. But alas the Potential is there, the question is can he stay on the field?
Emeka Egbuka burst onto the scene his rookie year. His first 9 games were 677 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. His next 7? 253 yards and zero touchdowns and only topped 50 receiving yards once compared to 6 times in his first 9 games. What happened? it wasn't a lack of targets so hopefully just a rookie wall and he will bounce back from second half disaster this year.
Listen the potential is there but this group is maybe top 15 entering the year with potential to maybe be top 10; but that top 10 would assume at least 2 out of 3 guys amass 1,000 receiving yards something none of them have done to date and in Godwins case the last 2 years.
There is durability issues with this group hence the depth and Hurst/Tez being 4 and 5 guys. That's not exactly a good thing.
Grant it, i think WR is one of the best positions on our team, maybe excluding OT, but top 5 based on what? certainly not stats.
I don't think it is homerism because the Bucs have a more battle tested group right now 1-4 on their WR depth chart. Egbuka and Tez playing significant snaps as rookies is going to pay off big time this year.
I mean if you look at the NFC in general lets run down the list:
Dallas - Top three is set but they went out and picked up MVS and drafted Anthony Smith.
Giants -Nabers and Slayton but beyond that they are going to need to see Calvin Austin, Malachie Fields, Mooney and Schuster to fill gaps so they are throwing everything they can to see who can step up to help Nabers and Slatyon by shoring up the position.
Eagles - Wicks was traded for and they drafted Lemon but they do not have AJ Brown's dominance anymore as he was traded away. They still have Smith and they are shifting to a quick passing game scheme. Beyond that they are hoping Hollywood Brown or Elijah Moore can stick and provide some help as depth.
Commanders - Another off season massively shaking up their WR core with McLaurin at the top. Burks is ??? and they drafted Antonio Williams in the 3rd. They have Layne and McCaffrey as depth with Dyami Brown but no one that stands out beyond Mclaurin right now.
Bears - Odunze has to pick it up a notch now without DJ Moore with Burden II thrust into more of a bigger role. They did sign Kalif Raymond with drafting Zavion Thomas in the third but a lot can go right and they are looking good. But a lot can go wrong for them too.
Packer - Like BurdenIII of the Bears , Mathews steps into a bigger role for the Packers now with Wicks traded away. Watson has to stay healthy because Reed can't do it alone and now Wicks is no longer there. Beyond their top three they have Savion Williams as a third round pick from last year's draft and reclamation project Skyy Moore.
Vikings- Jefferson and Addision with Jennings on paper is a strong trio. And they have 2025 third rounder Tai Felton with 2026 third rounder behind those three but nothing else other than street free agents right now.
Falcons - Yeah they have London but they signed Zaccheaus back into the fold and Dotson. But their depth is questionable with a lot of question marks so they are looking to sign a WR. They do have this year's third round selection of Branch but he is another nickel WR in the same mold as Zaccheaus and Dotson and no true boundary WR opposite of London right now. Overall the Falcons once again look on paper to have a weak WR room compared to other NFC teams but that could change if the 49ers release Aiyuk and the Falcons are there to scoop him up.
Panthers - Tet, Coker and Legette as a top three are extremelly physical but that is why they drafted Brazzelle in round 3 and signed Melchie to compete with Moore as dime speedsters to compliment their top three.
Saints - Vele was an attempt for more size to the room with Olave as the boundary downfield threat. Adding Tyson this year from round 1 just augments their room a bit more. Picking up Polk, and then drafting Lance in round 4 this year and Brown in round 6 means they are all business improving their WR. On paper I think the Saints are clearly better at WR than the Falcons overall but that could change. Tipton and Palmer are in the mix downfield specialists.
Cardinals - Harrison Jr and Wilson are the most under the radar 1-2 duo in the league and then they go out and add Bourne in the mix and he is very consistent. Beyond that though they do not have much but they did draft Reggie Virgil in round 5 and Fehoko is sticking around as a depth specialist.
Rams - Their trio is still there with Nacua Adams, and Whittington. They did draft CJ Daniels in round 6 but beyond that they really are make or break with their top three as a WR group.
49ers - Adding Evans helps a room which looks pretty ordinary and is now helped along. Kirk bring a stable veteran presence along with Evans and allows Pearsall to develop without being forced to be top target in the WR room. They still have 2024 4th round picks Watkins and Cowing so a break out is possible. Stribling in round 2 ensure the 49ers at least have a strong 1-4 group on paper but if Watkins and Cowing show up to the party they are a strong WR group overall. Robinson as a vet is still around may stick another season.
Seahawks defending SB champ - JSN, Cooper, and Shaheed are an underrated 1-2-3 triplet WR group. Bobo and Horton are also competent WR's in their own right and they drafted Henderson Jr in round 6 to compete with Cody White. Their WR group 1-5 compares very well when stacked against the Bucs as an example.
The Bucs overall are not far off surpassing many of these teams if Godwin returns to form, Egbuka/Tez/McMillan progress and Hurst has a rookie coming out party. 1-5 Bucs WR group compares well to the rest of the NFC. Throw in K. Johnson, Sills, Houston, Greene and Rivers Jr and it is going to be another tough cut for the Bucs on final cut down. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bucs WR cuts end up on active rosters on other teams again.
What happened? it wasn't a lack of targets so hopefully just a rookie wall and he will bounce back from second half disaster this year.
Playing the X and struggling to get away from press coverage. Id have to look but Evans was mostly inside so Egbuka is probably in that role a fair amount even when Evans was back
Bucs wr core is a top 7 unit in the NFC... Probably top 5
What happened? it wasn't a lack of targets so hopefully just a rookie wall and he will bounce back from second half disaster this year.
Playing the X and struggling to get away from press coverage. Id have to look but Evans was mostly inside so Egbuka is probably in that role a fair amount even when Evans was back
Josh Q today
"Egbuka, the breakout rookie, was swallowed up by man coverage in 2025, catching just seven of 27 targets at 0.91 yards per route run."
What happened? it wasn't a lack of targets so hopefully just a rookie wall and he will bounce back from second half disaster this year.
Playing the X and struggling to get away from press coverage. Id have to look but Evans was mostly inside so Egbuka is probably in that role a fair amount even when Evans was back
Josh Q today
"Egbuka, the breakout rookie, was swallowed up by man coverage in 2025, catching just seven of 27 targets at 0.91 yards per route run."
This had as much to do with Baker being injured as it did Egbuka’s abilities. There’s good reason to believe Egbuka will improve greatly on rookie season success.
There’s good reason to believe Egbuka will improve greatly on rookie season success
I think he will too, but he can have a great second year and still not be great against man.
WR room is obviously a strong suit.
Apparently, Godwin has looked good in OTA's.
Which is nice, considering how slow he looked. Not slow, as in "I'm from Philly" slow. But, like "I had to have a 2nd surgery to fix my ankle" slow.
Expect good things from him, EE, and McMillan.
It was also really nice to hear that the rook is turning heads already.
Would love to see him continue the trend throughout the summer.
Bucs wr core is a top 7 unit in the NFC... Probably top 5
NFC ok...but the Knees was saying top 5 overall
interesting pewter article but im sure the Knees knows best
Why ESPN's Ranking Disrespects The Bucs' Offensive Playmakers
Bucs wr core is a top 7 unit in the NFC... Probably top 5
NFC ok...but the Knees was saying top 5 overall
interesting pewter article but im sure the Knees knows best
Why ESPN's Ranking Disrespects The Bucs' Offensive Playmakers
The crux of this article speaks to injuries. Which is fair but, let’s be frank. If Tampa is 100% healthy and our defense doesn’t improve a single TD or yard, Tampa is at 10-11 wins and Grizz is still here and who knows how the playoffs go. Hell, we smacked the fuck out of the eventual Super Bowl winners on their home turf in prime time.
Will Godwin get back to peak 2024? Will Bucky stay healthy and play like he did in 2024? Will the revolving door of OLinemen slow down a bit? Did we already find an X replacement in Hurst? To be clear, every team is dealing with injuries but, man, we couldn’t get out of our own way and injuries don’t or at least shouldn’t go into a units evaluation as it’s part of the game (unless you are Derrick Brooks). We know what we in Robinson as an OC. We know what we have in Baker when he’s healthy. There’s true leadership in the WR room even without Evans there. White could be a huge whiff for us, who knows but I do like that we snagged Gainwell.
Special teams will be better and the defense will be better.
Yeah without injuries this offense and WR corp can be top 10. It would be an epic collapse again if the offense underachieves.
Defensively all the defense has to do is ramp up some pressures and sacks from the base front. The blitz rate I do not think is going to be dialed down that much but it may be enough. I am skeptical how much better the run defense will be but we will see. The problem has been CBs playing zone too soft and safties failing to rotate when Bowles dials up an A gap blitz from one of his is ILBs or a NCB blitz. Coverage shouldn't collapse that badly if you send 1 or 2 players on a blitz because it is not like an all out blitz.
I mean rotation of playing centerfield is about feel in football terms very similar to playing centerfield in baseball. We need Winfield Jr to emerge as a center field commander and to let T. Smith crash the underneath stuff with K. Scott and Parrish. And then we can have McCollum/Morrison cover the boundary.
Bucs wr core is a top 7 unit in the NFC... Probably top 5
NFC ok...but the Knees was saying top 5 overall
interesting pewter article but im sure the Knees knows best
Why ESPN's Ranking Disrespects The Bucs' Offensive Playmakers
The crux of this article speaks to injuries. Which is fair but, let’s be frank. If Tampa is 100% healthy and our defense doesn’t improve a single TD or yard, Tampa is at 10-11 wins and Grizz is still here and who knows how the playoffs go. Hell, we smacked the fuck out of the eventual Super Bowl winners on their home turf in prime time.
Will Godwin get back to peak 2024? Will Bucky stay healthy and play like he did in 2024? Will the revolving door of OLinemen slow down a bit? Did we already find an X replacement in Hurst? To be clear, every team is dealing with injuries but, man, we couldn’t get out of our own way and injuries don’t or at least shouldn’t go into a units evaluation as it’s part of the game (unless you are Derrick Brooks). We know what we in Robinson as an OC. We know what we have in Baker when he’s healthy. There’s true leadership in the WR room even without Evans there. White could be a huge whiff for us, who knows but I do like that we snagged Gainwell.
Special teams will be better and the defense will be better.
dude if Baker plays half of what he can be, they easily have 10-11 wins. If he's not healthy, we are likely better having him sit because he was not effective last year against cup cake opponents.
8-9
- 3 turnovers in Dolphins game, offense puts up 17 points. This would be a win
- just 122 yards and under 50% completion percentage with a turnover in Saints game with just 20 points. This would be a win.
- just 145 yards, a turnover with just 20 pints in Carolina game. This would be a win.
Very easily this would be a 11-6 team last year....fraud pretender none the less..
we would have had an 8-4 conference record better than the 7-5 Chicago Bears with Eagles winning tie breaker over our head to head
so we would have played the 49ers in our house as the #3 seed facing the #6 seed. Not sure we would have won that one, even if we beat those poor teams down the stretch but who knows, maybe could have made some noise. Facing Eagles as #2 seed in second round? I'd like to think that even if Baker played half decent and we won 11 games, we would have gotten bounced in first round anyway.
Bucs wr core is a top 7 unit in the NFC... Probably top 5
NFC ok...but the Knees was saying top 5 overall
interesting pewter article but im sure the Knees knows best
Why ESPN's Ranking Disrespects The Bucs' Offensive Playmakers
The crux of this article speaks to injuries. Which is fair but, let’s be frank. If Tampa is 100% healthy and our defense doesn’t improve a single TD or yard, Tampa is at 10-11 wins and Grizz is still here and who knows how the playoffs go. Hell, we smacked the fuck out of the eventual Super Bowl winners on their home turf in prime time.
Will Godwin get back to peak 2024? Will Bucky stay healthy and play like he did in 2024? Will the revolving door of OLinemen slow down a bit? Did we already find an X replacement in Hurst? To be clear, every team is dealing with injuries but, man, we couldn’t get out of our own way and injuries don’t or at least shouldn’t go into a units evaluation as it’s part of the game (unless you are Derrick Brooks). We know what we in Robinson as an OC. We know what we have in Baker when he’s healthy. There’s true leadership in the WR room even without Evans there. White could be a huge whiff for us, who knows but I do like that we snagged Gainwell.
Special teams will be better and the defense will be better.
dude if Baker plays half of what he can be, they easily have 10-11 wins. If he's not healthy, we are likely better having him sit because he was not effective last year against cup cake opponents.
8-9
- 3 turnovers in Dolphins game, offense puts up 17 points. This would be a win
- just 122 yards and under 50% completion percentage with a turnover in Saints game with just 20 points. This would be a win.
- just 145 yards, a turnover with just 20 pints in Carolina game. This would be a win.
Very easily this would be a 11-6 team last year....fraud pretender none the less..
we would have had an 8-4 conference record better than the 7-5 Chicago Bears with Eagles winning tie breaker over our head to head
so we would have played the 49ers in our house as the #3 seed facing the #6 seed. Not sure we would have won that one, even if we beat those poor teams down the stretch but who knows, maybe could have made some noise. Facing Eagles as #2 seed in second round? I'd like to think that even if Baker played half decent and we won 11 games, we would have gotten bounced in first round anyway.
I feel the same way. I just think people have myopic tunnel vision when they focus on Bowles, his position coaches and Grizzard for example and ignore that if Mayfield play was just shy of the Mendoza line this is a playoff team with 10 wins.. Bottom line is players should share the blame too and often it is the players that make the difference even with mediocre coaching.
The poor coaching didn't stop Mayfield and the young Bucs to their hot start in 2025 and they had injuries.
Modern NFL is so close in talent that maybe coaching is that edge but a lot of times it is clear if a team has more talent. Seahawks are a great example as they were head and shoulders stacked talent wise. They hit a perfect combo by landing a high quality coach like Mac.
Most teams either have an abundance of talent (eg Falcons) or they have superb coaching but lack the talent to compete with the big boys (Ravens).
Licht is clearly leaning toward building a team of abundance with talent like the Seahawks. The Seahawks began their journey with the 2020 NFL draft and it concluded with the 2025 NFL draft in their cycle to win the SB. Bucs are a year or two behind due to trying a repeat SB attempt in 2021. 2023 was the clear starting point without Brady and building a roster with the SB win in the rear view mirror. But the Bucs started their new cycle in 2023 and should in theory hit their peak talent in 2027.
So if that is the case then Mayfield has a chance to play with a peak talented roster in 2027 and earn a new contract if he takes care of business in 2026 season.
Bowles, his position coaches and Grizzard for example and ignore that if Mayfield play was just shy of the Mendoza line this is a playoff team with 10 wins..
The team started conceding a FG per game by kicking unit the EZ. Grizzz could keep the team moving on the filed. Bowles seemed to think 33 runs= win.
No one is giving players a pass. Some are prioritizing the faults that contributed to the bad season.
The Bucs lost to the Falcons because they were conceding a FG each KO, Mayfield was sacked 5 times because the lines was injured, they had a very inefficient offense (Evans was the big receiver but on 50% reception rate, Irving ran for 60 but on 16 runs), the defense couldnt stop a TE, Mayfield threw a interception that could have sealed it and a defensive back up failed to do his job on 3rd and 28.
Bowles, his position coaches and Grizzard for example and ignore that if Mayfield play was just shy of the Mendoza line this is a playoff team with 10 wins..
The team started conceding a FG per game by kicking unit the EZ. Grizzz could keep the team moving on the filed. Bowles seemed to think 33 runs= win.
No one is giving players a pass. Some are prioritizing the faults that contributed to the bad season.
The Bucs lost to the Falcons because they were conceding a FG each KO, Mayfield was sacked 5 times because the lines was injured, they had a very inefficient offense (Evans was the big receiver but on 50% reception rate, Irving ran for 60 but on 16 runs), the defense couldnt stop a TE, Mayfield threw a interception that could have sealed it and a defensive back up failed to do his job on 3rd and 28.
the falcons game was 1 game. What about the other 3 losses to cup cake teams?
special teams and defense being bad/average had nothing to do with offense not being able to muster up more than 17-20 points each week. And somehow the defense still pulled out 2 wins against Carolina and Arizona with such an anemic offense performance.
One thing that was eye opening was how "not in game shape" teddy brigewater was in that Rams game. Holy heck.
so positive thinking me "Baker was too hurt to play" which is why he sucked down the stretch; hopefully improves with Jake Browning as back-up
