Are The Bucs Targeting WR Evans Enough?

Mike Evans only had four targets against the banged up Steelers in another disappointing offensive performance by the Buccaneers. 

“We definitely talked about that,” said Bucs’ head coach Todd Bowles. “We’ve got to find a way to get our stars the ball. Move them around, get them off picks, double teams – we have to find a way to get them the ball more. Obviously teams are going to try to double him and take him away more. We have to do a better job of getting him the ball.”

Only four targets for the team’s best receiver. That has to be bad, right?

I don’t know. I’m surprised it became as much of a talking point as it did. For one, how many targets should he have? 

Evans averaged 6.8 targets per game in the 2020 regular season. In 2021, that went up a hair to 7.1. Through the five games Evans has been active in 2022, he’s at 6.6 targets per game. That’s pretty steady. 

But even if his targets were noticeably down, which they aren’t, that wouldn’t necessarily be bad. Evans wants vertically-stemmed one-on-one routes outside. Defenses can take away Evans’s best weapon by simply not giving him one-on-one opportunities. Not with “double teams” in the literal sense, but with certain defensive structures. This Bucs regime has been fine with defenses taking that approach.

How The Bucs Are Using Evans In 2022

In fact, Evans is playing more on the outside and less in the slot than recent years. In 2020, he played a career high 37.9 percent of his snaps from the slot. In 2021, that crept down to 34.3 percent. In 2022, that number has come down another notch to 27.1 percent. When the Bucs do play Evans inside now, he’s not running quick change-of-direction type routes. It’s seams, benders, fades, posts, and crossers.