Evans: ‘They have no choice but to step up’

Mike Evans isn’t going to allow the absence of fellow receiver Chris Godwin to be an excuse for a lack of offensive production. He knows - and wants to make sure his teammates know - that other guys have to be able to fill the void for the next few weeks until Godwin is able to return.

When speaking with the media on Wednesday, Evans was blunt and to the point;

“They have no choice but to step up. Obviously, missing Chris – one of the best receivers in the league – having him down is definitely going to hurt. But, guys have to step up. There’s a lot of injuries in this league right now, so guys are just going to have to step up. We’re paid professionals and that’s our job to do that.”

Scotty Miller has done a solid job through the first three weeks of the season and it appears as though there’s a chance the Bucs will get Justin Watson back this week after he missed the Broncos game with a shoulder injury.

Now, Miller did miss practice on Wednesday with the injury he had last week so it may just be a rest/maintenance day for him to ensure he’s fresh on Sunday.

The other players to look to are the tight ends. Both O.J. Howard and Rob Gronkowski had good games against the Broncos and it appears the Tom Brady/Gronk connection is beginning to get back into rhythm. That will need to continue against the Chargers this week with the Bucs missing such a key member of their offense.