Even Without Rob Gronkowski Buccaneers Have Elite Weapons

According to Pro Football Focus' Tier Rankings of NFL receiver groups

Many look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' group of weapons compared to this time last year and think there's a pretty big drop in talent. 

Receiver Antonio Brown is long gone, tight end O.J. Howard has since signed with the Buffalo Bills, and future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski is still deciding on whether or not he wants to get his gold jacket with quarterback Tom Brady, or one year earlier. 

READ MORE: Tom Brady Coming Back Led to Bruce Arians' Retirement

Still, with all that lost from June of 2021, the Bucs still have an elite group of receivers for Brady to weaponize against opponents this season. 

In fact, they have the second-best according to Pro Football Focus, one spot behind the Cincinnati Bengals' group. 

"Tampa Bay’s receiving corps isn’t quite as talented as it was at full strength last season," says PFF. "However, the Buccaneers still have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — a stellar one-two punch when healthy — and added Russell Gage from Atlanta via free agency and tight end Cade Otton in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Gage makes a lot of sense as a fit alongside Evans and Godwin. He profiles as a possession receiver who can work the middle of the field from slot or wide alignments. Gage steadily improved his receiving yards per route run from 1.18 in 2019 to 1.96 last season (19th among qualifying wide receivers)."

Rounding out the top five are the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Las Vegas Raiders. 

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Good groups all around, but the quarterback advantage sits clearly with Tampa Bay, which is why the team will enter this year's training camp as a favorite to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVII.

For more on this and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers check out James Yarcho and David Harrison on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!