THE Tampa Bay Buccaneers had one of the most accomplished wide receiver runs in NFL history. From the start, Mike Evans was the reference of the NFC South team. The Galveston, Texas native and Texas A&M alumnus had no problem acclimating to the NFL starting in 2014, gaining 1,000 receiving yards during his rookie campaign.
He’s reached that mark every season since, during an incredible 11-year run that put him in the running to one day earn a spot in the Canton Pro Football Hall of Fame. This year, however, has been a bit of a struggle as injuries have robbed him of significant playing time for only the second time in his career.
Evans has only appeared in 11 of the Bucs’ 14 games so far this year, meaning he can max out at 14 games if he is able to make it through the final three games of the schedule. Chasing the playoffs, the 8-6 Bucs need him more than ever since they’ve already lost his counterpart, Chris Godwin, for the year.
Evans appeared on this week’s injury report after missing Wednesday’s practice. The question is: Will he be able to play against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16?
The answer appears to be yes, as Evans sat purely for rest purposes. He completely put his mid-season injuries behind him and appeared in Tampa Bay’s last four games with excellent results.
In Week 15, he caught nine passes for 159 yards, both season highs, to help the Bucs throttle the Los Angeles Chargers, 40-17. That put him within striking distance of 1,000 yards again, as he now has 749 this season with three games remaining.
With Trevon Diggs out for this game, Dallas will have to rely on DaRon Bland and Caelon Carson to try to muster the 6-foot-5, 231-pound terror on the border.
