The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the 2017 NFL season with high expectations. A team on the rise, it welcomed DeSean Jackson to the fold this past March. Fellow receiver Mike Evans has high hopes about joining forces with one of the best deep threats in the NFL for the past decade.
“This is going to be awesome,” Evans said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “Obviously, I think we could be one of the best tandems in the league. DeSean is an explosive receiver. I think we can do great things together.
“As soon as he got signed, we had dinner and we connected right away. We knew each other already. I’ve always been a fan of his game and the swagger he brings. Having him on the team will be very helpful.”
Bucs fans should be excited about this pairing. Though we have no idea what the future holds, it’s worth pointing out that Evans and Jackson combined to catch 152 passes for 2,326 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
Combined with tight end Cameron Brate and rookie tight end O.J. Howard out of Alabama and you’re looking at an amazing quartet of aerial weapons.
Jameis Winston has no reason not to have a monster season, provided the Bucs don’t get hit with the injury bug. Winston, in fact, may have been a big reason Jackson ended up in Tampa Bay to begin with (more on that here).
After just missing out on the playoffs last year, these young Bucs are a team that needs to take that next step. Anything less than a playoff berth would be viewed as a disappointment in 2017.