Bucs Praised For Receiving Corps Depth

Baker Mayfield has engineered one of the most remarkable career turnarounds in the NFL of the last decade since joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. What once was one-year bridge piece for the Bucs has become their franchise quarterback through at least the near future. 

Mayfield deserves loads of credit for his development in Tampa Bay despite constant coaching changes around him. At the same time it would be remiss to not acknowledge the Bucs' role in surrounding him with the necessary talent. 

Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. were on roster when he arrived though Tampa Bay worked extend both players in recent years. They have also excelled in the draft, adding a stable of talented young contributors. 

These moves finally have the rest of the league on notice, recognizing the potency littered across the Bucs' depth chart. As a result PFF has tabbed the Bucs with the No. 2 receiving corps in the league heading into next season. 

They earned the same grade as the No. 1 overall team, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, but claim a deeper pool of passing game threats. 

Evans and Godwin claim the top individual receiving grades at 90.2 and 85.7 respectively. Second-year player Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka add some extra sizzle to this depth as well. 

But the separator for the Bucs rests in the versatility of their running backs. Bucky Irving's 90.5 receiving grade last season was one of the best for a back and Rachaad White added to that dual-threat prowess. 

Last season the Bucs showed that the strength of their offense not only resides in the known veteran stars. Rather, the accelerated development of young players like McMillan, Irving and now Egbuka make this offense more dangerous. 

The biggest question for all will be the transition to new leadership on the offensive side. Tampa Bay installed their fourth offensive coordinator in as many seasons after Liam Coen's departure at the start of the offseason. 

Josh Grizzard steps into the chair and is tasked with carrying this momentum forward while adding a few tweaks of his own to keep defenses guessing. If he succeeds in this transition, the Bucs will have one of the most lethal offenses in the league once again.