The PewterReport.com Roundtable features the opinions of the PR staff as it tackles a topic each week that involves the Bucs.

This week’s topic: Who Wins Bucs’ WR3 Job?

As it stands right now, rookie fifth-rounder Tyler Johnson, third-year receiver Justin Watson and second-year pass catcher Scotty Miller are expected to be the top competitors for the job. All three offer vastly different skills sets, so the Pewter Report staff is not only charged with offering our opinions on which receiver we like the most, but also who will be the best fit in Tom Brady and Bruce Arians’ offense when September 13 rolls around.

Scott Reynolds: WR Justin Watson

The Buccaneers are going into training camp thinking that their No. 3 wide receiver will be Scotty Miller, the team’s sixth-round draft pick from a year ago. On paper, he’s the favorite for two reasons. First, he was productive last year when healthy, catching 13 passes for 200 yards (15.3 average) and one touchdown before a hamstring injury in Detroit caused him to miss the team’s last two games. And second, although the Bucs drafted rookie receiver Tyler Johnson in the fifth round this year, Johnson is going to be way behind in learning the playbook, adapting to the speed of the NFL game, and getting used to catching passes from Tom Brady.

Bucs WR Justin Watson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That’s why I think there is a chance that Watson might actually emerge as the No. 3 to start the season. Watson was expected to make a big leap last year after his rookie season saw him play mostly on special teams after being a fifth-round draft pick in 2018. Watson struggled to catch the ball in the preseason and his confidence took a hit as a result. He was buried on the depth chart behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Breshad Perriman and Miller until injuries took their toll in December and forced Watson into more playing time.

Watson rose to the occasion, catching 15 passes for 159 yards (10.1 avg.) and two touchdowns in December, with 10 of those catches turning into first downs. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Watson is a big target with 4.42 speed, which is on par with Miller. He’s not as sudden as Miller is, but he has deep speed and has stayed healthy in his two years in Tampa Bay, while Miller dealt with hamstring issues three different times during his rookie campaign.

Because he’s been more reliable from a health standpoint than Miller, has better size and newfound confidence from his late-season production, it wouldn’t shock me at all if Watson was the No. 3 wide receiver in Week 1 at New Orleans. He knows the offense, which puts him on par with Miller and ahead of Johnson in that regard. The bigger question for Watson would then become whether he can fend off Miller and Johnson for that role as the season goes on.

Mark Cook: WR Justin Watson

It should be one of the most competitive battles this training camp, if we get to see football of course. Scotty Miller, rookie Tyler Johnson and Justin Watson will all have an opportunity to seize the job, and you can’t discount one of the other receivers on the roster making some noise as well. But Watson has the experience on his competition at this point.

Watson gives the Bucs another big presence on the outside with his 6-foot-3, 215 pound frame. With the 6-5 Mike Evans lined up opposite and add in Chris Godwin (6-1) in the slot, plus two tight ends in Rob Gronkowski (6-6) and O.J. Howard (6-6), the Buccaneers will have a distinct size advantage over all the defenses they face in 2020. Remember what was supposed to be the “Dunkaneers” a few years ago? Well this year that name will be very accurate when you see the Bucs offense line up.

Watson is no Evans or Godwin from a pure athletic standpoint, but he is a steady, dependable and extremely smart wide receiver. And when I say dependable, I mean he isn’t prone to the hamstring injuries we saw with Miller twice let year. Dependability is nearly as important as some of the other intangibles. Maybe even more so.

Regardless of who is technically the third receiver on the depth chart, the Bucs offense will still most like give the two odd men out some snaps as well. Especially Miller. If he proves he can stay healthy, his quickness and speed make him a valuable and coveted piece of what the Bucs would like to do offensively in 2020. But if I am placing my bet on who we see as the first receiver off the bench or the third receiver when the Bucs go four wide, I would take the third-year receiver out of Penn in Watson being that guy.

Taylor Jenkins: WR Tyler Johnson

While I think that Scotty Miller and Justin Watson will have roles carved out for them in this Bucs’ offense, I think that rookie Tyler Johnson has the type of skill set to make him the most consistently productive WR3 for Tampa Bay in 2020.

Watson has had a number of chances to take advantage of the third receiver role, specifically last season as training camp came with a wide open competition for the spot on the depth chart, with Watson, Miller and Breshad Perriman all battling it out. When the dust settled, it was clear that Watson had taken a back seat to both.

As for Miller, I think he will be used sparingly barring any injuries at the position, but primarily as a vertical threat on the outside.

As Jon Ledyard wrote, Johnson brings positional versatility, success at the catch point and great ball skills to the table despite not being an elite level athlete at the position. His ability to move around the field and make plays will, in my opinion, see him being Bruce Arians’ most useful receiving tool outside of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Tampa Bay’s wealth of riches at the

Matt Matera: WR Scotty Miller

It should be a good competition between Miller, Johnson and Watson for the third receiver spot, and I give Miller the edge because he brings something to the table that no other receiver on this roster can match up with – speed. The Bucs drafted Miller in the sixth round of the 2019 draft because he has 4.3 speed. We know that Bruce Arians loves speed, and Miller has a different skill set than his teammates, which should be utilized as another element in an already high-powered offense.

Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Tyler Johnson are all similar builds in the sense that they are big receivers who excel in the vertical game when they have to go up and get after the ball. There’s obviously nothing wrong with this as Evans and Godwin are two of the best in the game, but the Bucs don’t need every receiver to be the same, and that’s where Miller steps in as he can use his speed to beat you in a number of different ways, whether it’s crosses over the middle or stretching defenses on the outside. Miller can be beneficial to Tom Brady, who’s had quick receivers like Julian Edelman, Deion Branch and Wes Welker in the past that he’s comfortable with.

I think Miller comes into this season with a bit of a chip on his shoulder because his rookie season was marred by hamstring injuries that caused him to miss time as early as the beginning of training camp all the way to end the season. Miller ended the year with 13 receptions for 200 yards, but did show some flashes of potential later on in the season.

When Evans and Godwin were out for the rest of the year and both Miller and Justin Watson were given expanded roles in Week 15, it was Miller who stepped up catching three passes for 48 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game early. Watson, on the other hand, recorded two catches for just 18 yards. If you average out their snaps on offense, Miller played 17.6 snaps per game to Watson’s 14.3 despite missing six games. Should he remain healthy in 2020, the opportunity is there for Miller to win the battle and take the WR3 spot.

Jon Ledyard: WR Scotty Miller

I’ve already written about my affinity for Tyler Johnson and my positive impression of Justin Watson from reviewing his 2019 tape, so it’s time to throw the curve ball at you. Miller is going to win the Bucs WR3 job this August.

Bucs WR Scotty Miller – Photo by: Getty Images

Eventually the job may go to Johnson, who has easily the best ball skills and most consistent technique of the trio, but he might be a slot only at the NFL level despite his college versatility, and his lack of speed might not open up the middle of the field for the Bucs’ inside threats (tight ends Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard, and slot receiver Chris Godwin) like Bruce Arians would prefer.

Watson is a solid player who wouldn’t be a terrible No. 3 receiver, but he doesn’t have any trump cards in his skill set, and he hasn’t flashed in his two seasons like Miller did in just his rookie campaign last year. A good guy to have on the depth chart, but playing 50-70 percent of the team’s snaps?

For that role, I’d rather have a guy like Miller with elite speed and some really high-end plays in his 176 career snaps. He’ll bring more speed, quickness and post-catch ability than Watson or Johnson, and his route-running is already above-average. On a field with tons of elite ball skill receivers, middle-of-the-field chain movers and a big-time vertical threat on the outside in Mike Evans, Miller’s speed and suddenness to separate from multiple alignments, as well as his flashes of elusiveness in the quick passing game makes him more of a perfect complement to the Bucs current weaponry than his WR3 competitors.