Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Cohen and quarterback Baker Mayfield are losing yards and points while missing 50% of the team’s passing game output due to the absence of wide receiver Mike Evans (at least the next three games). (at least for the next three games). Godwin is out this season.
Tampa Bay never really established a third wide receiver through the first six weeks of the regular season, so the lack of a clear designation behind Evans and Godwin on the depth chart doesn’t help.
Rookie Jalen McMillan had a great training camp and preseason, scoring a touchdown in the season opener against Washington, but struggled with consistency and a hamstring injury that caused him to miss several games. Second-year receiver Trey Palmer had a touchdown catch against Philadelphia, but missed several games with a concussion.
Veteran Sterling Shepard started the season on the practice squad, filling in at No. 3 in Palmer and McMillan’s absences, and had a touchdown against Atlanta and a two-point conversion against Baltimore. A former teammate of Mayfield’s for 30 years at the University of Oklahoma, he has long had chemistry with the Bucs’ starting quarterback and will likely be called upon more in the passing game going forward.
Curious about how the Bucs receivers will be used on Sunday? Jalen McMillan, Sterling Shepard and Trey Palmer each played in five games. Here are their snaps, targets, catches, yards, and TDs.
McMillan: 198-15-6-74-1 (11 rushing yards)
Shepard: 185-12-8-93-1 (31 rushes)
Palmer: 112-9-5-61-1— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 24, 2024
Despite a lack of production this season, those three receivers will be missed by the Bucs in the absence of Evans and Godwin, along with unprecedented and inexperienced second-year players Rakim Jarrett and Ryan Miller. It will be expected to be a substitute for production volume. Tampa Bay faces Atlanta in a virtual must-win game. With the top spot in the NFC South on the line on Sunday, there’s no better time for these three receivers to rise to the occasion.
“Yes, it brings new challenges, but it also brings new opportunities. And the players need to step up,” Cohen said. “Obviously we need to be more creative in different ways, and we’re still trying to formulate and figure out exactly what that looks like. [it’s] It’s a great opportunity for some people. It’s hard to lose two people who obviously gave you so much, it’s a challenge but it’s great. [opportunity] So that some players can get new opportunities. ”
Jalen McMillan needs to step up for the Bucs’ offense
Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
The player who should stand a real chance for Tampa Bay in the passing game is the team’s third-round pick, Jalen McMillan. He’s the most talented in separations and made some great catches in training camp and the preseason.
Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Cohen said McMillan, who had a 1,000-yard season with Washington in 2022 and was one of Michael Penix Jr.’s go-to guys, will step up and become Baker Mayfield’s featured receiver. I believe I am ready to become one.
“I agree,” Cohen said. “I had a really good conversation with Jaylen, I think it was Sunday, and I just said, ‘Hey, it’s this week.’ We talked about it, ‘This is the week you really have to surface. , and I trust you.”You know, on a fourth down-and-one, we give him the ball on a jet sweep and believe he’s going to make a play — which he does. On a key third down, he came on an under route and caught the ball in traffic and got a first down, and I think the confidence is there.
“There’s a chemistry build that was already there, but we just lost some of those reps because he couldn’t practice there for a few weeks. I believe there’s a connection there. We’ve seen it, I mean, it’s born in a game-like situation, it’s built, it’s live and it’s a big moment for the public. But Jalen is the next step. We need to move on and really win.”
Trey Palmer needs to become more than just a deep threat
Bucks WR Trey Palmer – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Last year, the Bucs spent a sixth-round pick on a wide receiver. trey palmer He had a 1,000-yard season at Nebraska, which rarely happens. Palmer had his ups and downs as a rookie, catching 39 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns. The team drafted him for his 4.33 speed, but it didn’t show up much as he finished 2023 with an average of 9.9 yards per reception.
But where Palmer helped the Bucs with his speed was by running deep patterns that helped clear out Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Now, Palmer, who also serves as the team’s punt returner, won’t be used as a decoy. He will need to get more receiving work done and not just on the field.
“Obviously I think Trey gives us a vertical threat down the field, so I hope we can take advantage of that as well,” Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Cohen said. “Atlanta doesn’t have a lot of guys throwing the ball over his head this year because sometimes they play primarily deep safety. So that’s something we have to look at — if we just get him down the field. It’s a balance between volume and maybe running him all over the field when they’re tightening up their coverage structure a little bit more to cover that.”
Sterling Shepard opened up and will get more targets from now on
Bucks WR Sterling Shepard – Photo courtesy of USA Today
The Bucks were fortunate that Sterling Shepard made the decision to remain on the team’s practice squad even though he missed most of the preseason with a rib injury and lost his chance to make Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster. . Now, Shepard will be, at best, a featured receiver outside and in the slot for the foreseeable future, and at worst the team’s No. 3 receiver.
Shepard’s most productive days were against Philadelphia, where he had three catches for 51 yards, and against New Orleans, where he had three catches for 23 yards. He had one reception for 15 yards against Baltimore. Shepard’s only touchdown came on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Atlanta’s Baker Mayfield.
“[By] Just putting him in positions and routes — for example, if you really look at a lot of “Shep’s” routes where he probably wasn’t targeted or wasn’t even the primary, he’s on quite a few He’s winning routes,” the Bucs offensive coordinator said. Liam Cohen said. “Even going back to the first game in Atlanta, he ran some really good routes but couldn’t grab the ball. That happened the other night as well. He ran some really good routes and couldn’t get the ball. , but he wasn’t the primary target, or maybe even the secondary target, for some things.
“Well, he’s going to be, so he’ll probably naturally get a little more.” [opportunities] in the situation at hand. There is clearly a relationship, but [Shepard and Mayfield are] We are really close, they are friends, and we watch plays and talk at night, so I’m sure we’ll play together again on Sunday and have a good time. ”
