The big news out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers headquarters on Wednesday was that wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan returned to practice, setting the clock ticking on the eventual return of both from injured reserve at some point in the next 21 days. The dream sparked after the selection of Emeka Egbuka in the first round of the 2025 draft of an unstoppable receiving corps fronted by Evans, Egbuka, McMillan and Chris Godwin could still be realized before the end of the regular season.
But that hasn't been the reality for the Buccaneers at any point during the first 14 weeks of this campaign. Most notably, Evans and Godwin – the two leading receivers in franchise history – have yet to play in a game together in 2025. And yet, Tampa Bay's offense, if not quite as explosive and high-scoring as last season, has remained afloat and quarterback Baker Mayfield has managed to throw 19 touchdown passes against just five interceptions.
What has been that offense's identity in the midst of a seemingly endless string of injuries. Mayfield answered that question with a word that is right on the nose: resilient. And he gave a nod towards first-year Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard in helping to create that identity.
"It's been a resilient group, no matter who's in there," he said. "We've asked a lot of everybody to step up and do their job at a high level. I think a ton of people need to get credit for that. Grizz having to adjust the play-calls for people who are in there, the position coaches for getting everybody that's stepping up and getting in there ready to play. It's a resilient group, and that goes for players, the staff, the training room, everybody that's involved in that. It takes everybody."
Evans and Godwin have combined for 279 receiving yards and one touchdown through Week 13. Egbuka has been a rookie revelation, giving Mayfield a number-one receiver even when both Evans and Godwin were out, though opposing defenses increasingly began to pay more attention to him. The Bucs have surely gotten more out of seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson (five touchdowns) than they expected in 2025, and veteran Sterling Shepard continues to produce, ranking htird on the team in receptions and receiving yards. Rachaad White and Sean Tucker gave the Bucs a productive if not necessarily as explosive rushing attack in the two-month absence of Bucky Irving. The Bucs have used seven different starting offensive line combinations in 12 games.
And yet Tampa Bay enters December in first place in the NFC South (albeit by a slim margin) and with a chance to close out a fifth straight division title with four games in five weeks against division foes. That supergroup of receivers could still come to pass, but even if it doesn't, or if it's only for a short period, Grizzard, Mayfield and the rest of the offense have shown they can make it work.
It's also worth noting that Mayfield himself has set the tone in terms of resiliency. He has played through multiple injuries this season, including the current one to his left shoulder that kept him out of most of last week's practices. Fortunately, a Week 13 game against the Cardinals in which he didn't take much punishment has that shoulder feeling somewhat better. It still may be something he'll have to manage for the rest of the season.
"It's getting better," said Mayfield. "I didn't take any direct hits like I mentioned to you guys, which is great. [It is] still one of those things that's going to take time, so hopefully I can put two of those in a row together. For practice reps, we'll see how it progresses. [I] take as many reps as I can possibly get, but if not, then just do the mental preparation like I did last week."
