The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have seen solid production out of their offensive skill-position players in recent years, but how does their unit stack up against every other NFL team heading into the 2024 season?
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently ranked all 32 teams based on the current state of their combined wide receiver, running back and tight end groups, and the Bucs came in at the No. 13 spot.
Here’s what Barnwell had to say about Tampa Bay’s offensive weapons this year:
Mike Evans can’t keep doing this, can he? In his age-30 season and playing without Tom Brady, Evans rose to the occasion with a banner campaign. His 1,255 yards were the most he has had since 2018, and he led the league with 13 touchdowns catches. With 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons on his résumé, Evans is going to have a viable Hall of Fame case in a few years. Receivers on the wrong side of 30 are always dangerous propositions, but he has been so remarkably consistent that it’s hard to expect much of a drop-off.
Chris Godwin also quietly had a bounce-back season after his 2022 season was limited as he adjusted to life after a torn ACL. He was back up to 12.3 yards per catch after falling below 10 yards per reception the prior season. That 2019 season when he had a career-high 1,333 yards with Jameis Winston chucking the ball all over the place looks more like an outlier than a level of play he can hope to hit in the years to come, but the only thing missing from Godwin’s game is touchdowns. He has 10 across 285 catches over the past three seasons, which is comfortably the worst mark in football for any wide receiver with 150 catches or more over that timeframe. Get this man into the end zone in 2024!
I’m a little less sanguine about Rachaad White, who has absorbed a starter’s workload by default. He had 1,539 yards from scrimmage last season, but he ranked last in the league with minus-110 rush yards over expectation and averaged 3.6 yards per carry. His role in the passing game grew and he racked up 549 receiving yards, but again, the efficiency was just average, as he picked up 1.4 yards per route run. There’s value in being able to take a ton of touches, but White isn’t appreciably moving Tampa Bay forward on a regular basis. The rest of the offense behind White and Godwin isn’t promising, which keeps the Bucs from going higher.
Evans and Godwin should be solid again this year, and White should benefit from a better run-game scheme under new offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
The Bucs may not have any more big names among their offensive skill guys, but it’s strange to assert that group lacks promise given the youth and upside of players like Trey Palmer and Cade Otton, as well as new rookie additions in Bucky Irving and Jalen McMillan.
To check out Barnwell’s full rankings piece for ESPN, click here.
[lawrence-related id=87709]