On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed wide receiver Mike Evans on injured reserve, an expected move after Evans suffered a broken clavicle in the game against Detroit on Monday night. Evans' spot on the 53-man roster was immediately filled with the promotion of veteran guard Michael Jordan from the practice squad.
The Buccaneers also used the spot vacated by Jordan on the practice squad to sign third-year wide receiver Brandon Johnson, who most recently went to training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers this summer.
Evans will have to miss at least four games before he is eligible to return to the active roster, but his absence is expected to be significantly longer than that. On Wednesday, Head Coach Todd Bowles said it would be "touch and go" as to whether Evans is back on the field before the end of the regular season.
Evans had just returned from a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury prior to his latest mishap in the second quarter of Monday's game. He was targeted four times in the game, including on a deep ball on the play that ended with him sustaining both the shoulder injury and a concussion. Evans did not catch a pass against the Lions but did record 14 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown during the first three games of the season.
Evans famously began his career with an NFL-record streak of 11 straight seasons with 1,000-plus receiving yards, and that streak matched one by Jerry Rice for the longest for a player at any point in his career. Evans is the Buccaneers' all-time leader in receptions (850), receiving yards (12,824), touchdown receptions (106), total touchdowns (107) and points scored (650), and his touchdown catch total ranks 10th in NFL history.
Jordan also returned from an injury absence to start at right guard in place of an injured Luke Haggard on Monday night. He had previously opened the Buccaneers' first two games at left guard as the team shuffled its offensive line in the absence of All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs. Jordan was elevated from the practice squad prior to each of those starts but has now used up the maximum number of three elevation options on the season. His promotion on Wednesday allows him to continue to factor into the Bucs' offensive lineup.
Jordan has played in 70 regular-season NFL games with 43 starts, previously seeing front-line action with the Cincinnati Bengals (2019-20), Carolina Panthers (2021-22) and New England Patriots (2024). He originally entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the Bengals out of Ohio State in the 2019 draft.
Johnson has appeared in 23 games with three starts since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos out of UCF. His career totals include 26 receptions for 335 yards and five touchdowns, with the majority of that coming with the Broncos in 2023, when he snared 19 passes for 284 yards and six scores. He also saw action with Pittsburgh last season, spending most of the season on the Steelers' practice squad and going back to camp with them this summer before being waived on September 1.
