Mike Evans’ six touchdowns last season were the third-fewest in his nine-year career and his fewest since 2017. It’s a big reason the Buccaneers ranked only 25th in scoring.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles wants that number back to Evans’ career average of nine touchdowns per season.
“We’ve got to make that a priority, obviously,” Bowles said Tuesday. “I think we made it a priority last year. Sometimes it was shut down; sometimes we just misread it here and there, whether it was on the receiver, the [quarterback] or offensive linemen. We’ve got to get better in that area in getting him the football.”
Despite having Tom Brady, the Buccaneers had trouble scoring. They scored 30 or more points twice and 10 times were held to fewer than 20.
Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask are competing for the job to replace Brady, but whoever the quarterback is will be blessed with a pair of Pro Bowl wideouts in Evans and Chris Godwin.
Evans caught 77 passes for 1,124 yards, his ninth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season in nine seasons. Godwin caught 104 passes for 1,023 yards and three touchdowns, his fewest touchdowns since 2017.
“We know [Evans is] a threat, and we know he’s a great player,” Bowles said, “so we’ve got to constantly find ways -- not just him, but Chris as well -- we’ve got to find ways to get those guys the ball.”
