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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have avoided the worst-case scenario with Mike Evans after he suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of a 29-27 victory over the New York Jets. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said the initial evaluation deemed Evans’ injury to be low-grade, but he will need further testing.
“He’s gonna get an MRI tomorrow,” Bowles said. “Right now, they’re deeming it as low-grade, but we’ll see what comes up.”
Evans limped off the field in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game and did not return. Unfortunately for the Bucs, seeing their star wideout sidelined with a hamstring injury is a familiar feeling. Hamstring issues forced Evans to miss time during both the 2024 and 2019 seasons.
Prior to leaving Sunday’s game, Evans hauled in four passes for 33 yards and caught a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Evans tallied 14 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown in three games thus far in 2025. This comes after the Bucs All-Pro wideout registered 74 catches for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games a season ago.
The Bucs are already without Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin, who is still recovering from an ankle injury that he suffered midway through the 2024 season. Prior to Sunday’s game, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Godwin has a “strong chance” to suit up for the team’s Week 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka played through groin and hip issues to the tune of a team-high six catches for 85 yards. If Tampa Bay is without Evans and Godwin for any amount of time, that will just put even more of the passing game workload on the talented rookie.
If that is the case, Bowles said the team is confident in Egbuka, who doesn’t carry himself like a first-year player.
“Right now, we don’t even consider him a rookie,” Bowles said. “He’s been doing so much at practice, and the details of his work, that we kind of expected it from him here inside the building. I think outside everybody is seeing it for the first time.”
