With wide receivers Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan dealing with injury setbacks, veteran Sterling Shepard stepped up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and recorded three catches for 51 yards in the club's impressive 33-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who recruited Shepard to Tampa Bay during the offseason, praised the 31-year-old on Tuesday for what he's offered the club.
"Still making plays," Mayfield said about Shepard, per the JoeBucsFan website. "You really can’t replicate the in-game experience and understanding how to win routes on leverage, and just the playmaking ability that he had, strong through the catch."
Shepard and Mayfield were teammates at Oklahoma, but it seemed late last season that the former was headed toward retirement after he mostly became a non-factor in the New York Giants' offense. While Shepard received an opportunity to earn a roster spot with Tampa Bay in June, he ultimately had to settle for a place on the team's practice squad in late August.
Mayfield targeted Shepard a total of five times in the Week 4 victory that improved the Buccaneers to 3-1 on the season. Tampa Bay will be back in action when the first-place club plays at the 2-2 Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, and it sounds like Shepard could have an even bigger role in the offense as Atlanta looks to shut down star receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
"He’s a little Energizer Bunny on the sidelines," Mayfield added about Shepard on Tuesday. "So, I think the guys enjoyed it."
Minus the 26-7 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 3, Mayfield has played like a signal-caller who could flirt with earning some Most Valuable Player votes come January. ESPN stats show he'll head into Thursday evening ranked second in the NFL with eight touchdown passes on the season.
As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Bucs as 1.5-point underdogs against the Falcons. Mayfield building additional chemistry with Shepard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium could open things up for Evans and/or Godwin, which could result in Tampa Bay jumping out to a 4-1 start ahead of the Week 6 game at the New Orleans Saints (2-2) on Oct. 13.
