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The Bucs\u2019 have a loaded and diverse passing attack with a full stable of quality receivers.<\/p>\n
Is it the best receiving corps in the NFL? No chance says a buddy of Todd Bowles and a former personnel man.<\/p>\n
Joe\u2019s referring to Pat Kirwan, the former Jets linebackers coach and Jets front office chief. Bowles appears often on Kirwan\u2019s SiriusXM NFL Radio show with co-host and former Bucs backup QB Jim Miller.<\/p>\n
Kirwan and Miller finished their annual deep dive into every team\u2019s receiving corps this week. Damn, these guys agonized over grading the Bucs, especially Kirwan.<\/p>\n
Simply stated, Kirwan can\u2019t put his finger on the Bucs\u2019 plan and isn\u2019t 100 percent on board with their roster-building at the position.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you draft this kid (Emeka Egbuka) when you could have gone out and maybe taken a pass rusher?\u201d Kirwan asked rhetorically. \u201cIf you love [Jalen] McMillan that much, why\u2019d you do it and pay [Chris] Godwin? There\u2019s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Kirwan doesn\u2019t think having a lot of receivers is a \u201cproblem;\u201d it just makes the Bucs hard to grade at receiver.<\/p>\n
In Kirwan\u2019s mind, there is no possible way Godwin sits on the bench, even if he\u2019s still getting back to full health. And, per Kirwan, any first-round-pick receiver would be on the field ahead of McMillan \u2014 no matter how McMillan plays.<\/p>\n
Joe always finds it interesting to explore the politics and egos of NFL teams. Joe has talked about this on the Ira Kaufman Podcast. Godwin got huge money on a new three-year contract, but what if Egbuka clearly is a better player from Day 1 of the 2025 season?<\/p>\n
No shame there, but how might Godwin handle a reduced role if he\u2019s healthy? And would the Bucs dare to do something like that? Teams want players with fat contracts on the field.<\/p>\n
Baker Mayfield has said the Bucs offense very much revolves around Mike Evans, and it\u2019s obvious, so Joe is confident Mike Evans\u2019 role will stay the same. But what if McMillan continues his late-season surge from last year?<\/p>\n
These are great potential challenges\/problems for the Bucs, but a potentially tough spot for a rookie offensive coordinator who would be under tremendous pressure to keep players and management happy.<\/p>\n
Kirwan speculated that former Bucs assistant GM Jon Spytek and his new receiver-needy team, the Raiders, will be looking for a Bucs receiver that doesn\u2019t make the roster or falls on the Tampa Bay depth charge. Of course, it\u2019s unclear who that might be.<\/p>\n
Overall, Kirwan ranked the Bucs as the No. 6 receiving corps in the NFL, though he struggled to pin that down because he doesn\u2019t know who will be on the field and in what roles. Miller put the Bucs at No. 5.<\/p>\n
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