In the absence of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Buccaneers’ offense has had to rely on other players to step up in their absence. In some ways, this is a net positive for the Bucs, weeding out who are going to be the players they can rely on and what areas they may need to address in the off-season.
So who have been the ones to step up the most?
Cade Otton
Otton has really picked up the slack recently, logging back to back games as the team’s leading receiver. He hauled in a career high 100 receiving yards against the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago and caught two touchdown passes last week against the Falcons. Otton appears to be the new third down target for Mayfield in order to keep the sticks moving and extend drives that, hopefully, end in points.
His matchup against the Chiefs this week will be an interesting one as the Chiefs are one of the worst teams in the NFL defending against the tight end position - but will Mayfield have enough time to find him down the field?
The Running Backs
Again, I’m going to lump these guys together. In the first three drives against the Falcons, the Buccaneers’ running backs got 70 yards on the ground. Unfortunately, Liam Coen went away from the run game and the Bucs got just 32 more yards the rest of the game.
The combination of power, speed, quickness, and elusiveness makes this trio dangerous. They surpassed the Ravens’ average rushing yards allowed by the beginning of the second quarter last week and are now going up against the second best run defense in the league. It’s no coincidence that the run game really started putting things together after the entire starting offensive line was reunited. Now, the backs are going to be more important than ever, gaining yards while chewing clock and keeping the Bucs’ defense on the sideline for as long as possible.
Rakim Jarrett
This is more of a prediction than what we’ve actually seen so far, but Jarrett hauled in some tough catches against the Falcons on Sunday in his return. He provides a speedy outside receiving option for Mayfield that has a little bit bigger frame than what Trey Palmer does. Jarrett was the team’s second leading receiver Sunday, bringing in three receptions on three targets for 58 yards. Look for Jarrett to get more involved in the offense in the coming weeks - even after Mike Evans makes his return.
In the absence of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Buccaneers’ offense has had to rely on other players to step up in their absence. In some ways, this is a net positive for the Bucs, weeding out who are going to be the players they can rely on and what areas they may need to address in the off-season.
So who have been the ones to step up the most?
Cade Otton
Otton has really picked up the slack recently, logging back to back games as the team’s leading receiver. He hauled in a career high 100 receiving yards against the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago and caught two touchdown passes last week against the Falcons. Otton appears to be the new third down target for Mayfield in order to keep the sticks moving and extend drives that, hopefully, end in points.
His matchup against the Chiefs this week will be an interesting one as the Chiefs are one of the worst teams in the NFL defending against the tight end position - but will Mayfield have enough time to find him down the field?
The Running Backs
Again, I’m going to lump these guys together. In the first three drives against the Falcons, the Buccaneers’ running backs got 70 yards on the ground. Unfortunately, Liam Coen went away from the run game and the Bucs got just 32 more yards the rest of the game.
The combination of power, speed, quickness, and elusiveness makes this trio dangerous. They surpassed the Ravens’ average rushing yards allowed by the beginning of the second quarter last week and are now going up against the second best run defense in the league. It’s no coincidence that the run game really started putting things together after the entire starting offensive line was reunited. Now, the backs are going to be more important than ever, gaining yards while chewing clock and keeping the Bucs’ defense on the sideline for as long as possible.
Rakim Jarrett
This is more of a prediction than what we’ve actually seen so far, but Jarrett hauled in some tough catches against the Falcons on Sunday in his return. He provides a speedy outside receiving option for Mayfield that has a little bit bigger frame than what Trey Palmer does. Jarrett was the team’s second leading receiver Sunday, bringing in three receptions on three targets for 58 yards. Look for Jarrett to get more involved in the offense in the coming weeks - even after Mike Evans makes his return.
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