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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be soon be looking for a replacement for Julio Jones.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Buccaneers are one of the top destinations for three-time Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr. Fowler actually notes Tampa Bay as the fourth-best destination for the veteran receiver, behind the likes of the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Fowler stresses the Buccaneers’ constant injury bug at the receiver position and Beckham’s friendship with Tom Brady as reasons for why the accomplished receiver could land in Tampa Bay.
“The Bucs are a threat for any veteran playmaker as long as Brady is still playing,” says Fowler. “They gave Julio Jones $6 million in guarantees this offseason despite boasting impressive receiver depth — of which early-season injuries are proving there’s never enough. Godwin, Jones and Russell Gage have been fixtures on the injury report, while Evans missed Week 3 via suspension.
Brady long has expressed an affinity for Beckham’s game. The Bucs have $5.2 million in cap space, and if they need more, restructuring left tackle Donovan Smith’s $18.4 million cap number could be an option.”
Beckham Could Emerge as Bucs’ X-Factor
It’s no secret that Beckham played a major role in the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl run last season. Outside of Cooper Kupp, Beckham emerged as Matthew Stafford’s most dependable target, catching a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl and ranking fourth in the postseason among all receivers in offensive grade (85.7), according to Pro Football Focus.
Furthermore, the fit with Brady just makes sense considering Beckham’s versatility in running routes.
“You can see Beckham as a target for quarterback Tom Brady in the Tampa offense, right? The speed outs, crossers, high-low concepts, deep comebacks,” says Fowler. “Don’t forget the boundary fade balls.”
Beckham Could Fill Julio Jones’ Role
The 33-year-old Jones is currently in the midst of his third straight injury-plagued campaign. The veteran receiver continues to deal with a nagging PCL sprain. Head coach Todd Bowles recently indicated Jones could miss more time due to the injury.
Via Greg Auman of The Athletic on Monday, October 10:
“Todd Bowles today on Julio Jones’ injury status: ‘We want him fully healthy, not coming out for a week, then missing another couple of weeks. We think we have enough guys right now to weather that storm.'”
Meanwhile, Jones missed the Buccaneers’ most recent Week 5 matchup versus the Atlanta Falcons and was limited to first half snaps in Week 4 versus the Kansas City Chiefs. After having an impressive debut with Tampa Bay with three receptions for 69 yards — including a 48-yard completion — Jones has since caught just one pass for seven yards.
Despite Tampa Bay’s accomplished receiving core — Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage are their other top receivers — the Buccaneers appear to still be lacking firepower on the offensive unit. While Brady continues to tear it up in the passing game — Brady ranks third in the league in passing yards.
Through five games of the season, the Buccaneers are averaging just 20.6 points per game, ranking 19th in the league. By comparison, the 2021 Buccaneers averaged 33.4 points per game.
It’s clear that Tampa Bay’s offense has regressed in the absence of Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown. While the Buccaneers continue to move the ball just fine, they’re not scoring. The lack of a big-bodied red zone threat such as Gronkowski is playing a major role in that decline.
Acquiring an X-Factor weapon in Beckham could very well be the difference between Tampa Bay winning a Super Bowl and not winning one this season.
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