Tampa Bay has some problems to solve.
Buccaneers' Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson take WR depth chart spotlight after Egbuka, Evans, Godwin injuries originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have some wide receiver problems to solve.
Their WR depth chart has been crushed with injuries. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were ruled out ahead of Sunday's game, and then Emeka Egbuka departed and didn't return due to a hamstring injury.
The Bucs have a huge game ahead in Week 7, a Monday night showdown with the Detroit Lions.
Will any of the receivers be healthy?
There's no guarantee of that, and if they're not, things get dicey.
Tez Johnson and Kameron Johnson would likely be part of the WR leaders in that scenario, along with the veteran Sterling Shepard.
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Tez is an exciting rookie, and Kameron has proven he can make plays at the NFL level, too. Both caught touchdowns in Sunday's win over the San Francisco 49ers.
But is a group like that enough to keep the Buccaneers afloat? It's not a sure thing.
"The Bucs will survive with the same formula that has helped them storm out to a 5-1 record, and that is quarterback Baker Mayfield playing at an MVP level," ESPN's Jenna Laine wrote. "Mayfield was 17-of-23 for 256 yards and two touchdowns. It's not certain how bad Egbuka's injury is, but the Bucs have already been without Mike Evans for three weeks with a hamstring injury, and Chris Godwin Jr. is "week-to-week" with a fibula injury. On top of that, Jalen McMillan won't be back until after the Week 9 bye. Still, Egbuka has been Mayfield's top target by a mile and has been getting so much of the offense's chunk yardage -- 446 receiving yards -- with Sterling Shepard the next closest at 242. Tez Johnson and Kameron Johnson both hauled in touchdown catches Sunday. But none of those other players are high-volume catchers like Egbuka."
Because the Buccaneers will likely get their stars back eventually, it seems unlikely that they'd seek a trade.
Instead, they'll just have to ride this out and hope the next man up mentality can work for them.
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