Bucs Nation
With teams increasingly valuing joint practices and scrimmages with each passing season, any positive news is worth noting when reported from these outings.
That said, Mike Evans showcased his talents well for the Buccaneers as he reportedly destroyed the Pittsburgh Steelers cornerbacks during the two teams’ practice on Thursday. The Tampa Bay Times’s Rick Stroud attended, relaying the offense’s general dominance but specifically highlighting Evans, who enters his 12th campaign.
His account was corroborated by team reporter Scott Smith, as well as multiple third-party sources like Pewter Report, Steelers Depot, and others. Evans concluded the day with a redzone score over Ramsey, and other starters Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan reportedly had very good days as well.
Todd Bowles quickly remarked after practice that Evans earned the night off when the two teams play live Saturday at 7 p.m., along with veterans Baker Mayfield and Lavonte David.
The news out of camp, paired with a strong display against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 of the preseason, all point to a Buccaneers offense that should be similarly daunting to the 2024 iteration — even with stalwarts Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin poised to start the season sidelined due to injury.
Evans will keep setting the tone for a young receiver room as he continues to cement his own legacy. He’s positioned to move even further up several records lists with multiple attainable marks — just 6 more touchdowns will make him 8th all time; another 1,000-yard tally will break the record currently co-held by Jerry Rice for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons; another 1,000+ yards would also put Evans just outside of the top 15 all-time in receiving yards; if he hits his average receptions mark of 85, that will put him shy of top 25 all-time.
If camp has been any indicator, Evans will be ready to continue his jaunt toward history when the season opens in roughly three weeks.
