Can Zac Robinson Re-Energize A Mike Evans-Less Offense?
July 15th, 2026
Key to passing game?
Though Joe would still like to see someone at One Buc Palace build up enough courage to come clean about Mike Evans — dudes that profess love for a franchise don’t just up and leave after 12 seasons to take a massive paycut and cough up even more for insane costs of living ($5.56 for a gallon of gas in San Francisco ) and crazy state taxes — Joe wonders if the Bucs offense can thrive without one of the game’s greatest.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Evans had an awful year last year. And what again was the Bucs’ record?
For Mike Jones typing for The Athletic, he wonders if new Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson can find a way to have a thriving offense with Evans on the West Coast (and not of the East Coast).
Can [a Zac Robinson] attack thrive without a true No. 1 wide receiver?
Robinson helped revive Baker Mayfield’s career during Mayfield’s brief stint with the Rams (2022), so Robinson and the Bucs’ QB have a rapport already. But Tampa Bay’s offense has a big hole to fill with Mike Evans now in San Francisco. At 30, Chris Godwin owns the distinction of position room leader. But injuries have diminished his impact the past two seasons. Emeka Egbuka delivered an impressive rookie season, and fellow young targets Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson seemingly have much to offer. Rookie Ted Hurst III aims to force his way into the mix as well. Robinson has said his goal involves spreading the ball around, but Mayfield certainly needs a go-to guy.
Joe honestly thinks how Jalen McMillan plays could determine the rest of the Bucs offense.
Joe isn’t sure that Emeka Egbuka can yet handle being the No. 1 receiver. He struggled with that last year but to be fair, there were other factors involved, not the least of them being that, yeah, Egbuka was a rookie.
If Robinson keeps Chris Godwin at slot, Joe doesn’t know if you can consider a slot receiver at No. 1.
So if McMillan can carry his own weight this fall, that will certainly keep heat off of Egbuka.
And as Joe has typed before, barring an emergency or one of the top three receivers playing terribly, the Bucs don’t need to rush Ted Hurst onto the field. He can develop at his own pace.
Joe isn’t sweating the Bucs offense. Not yet, at least. Not in mid-July.