How the Bucs are forging ahead without two key players: 'Back into game mode'

TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't ruled out a trade to bring in a seasoned veteran wide receiver. Their plan is to go with the guys they already have.

"We think Mike is coming back, but we really like our young guys," Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles said. "There are guys out there, but for what we would have to give up to get them, in the long run, it’s probably not worth it. For us right now, we’re excited to see our young guys play. We had to play without some defensive guys this year, now we have to play without some offensive guys. We fared pretty well. We think we’ll fare pretty well with these guys."

Among their wide receivers that have caught a pass for the Bucs this season are just four players. Four players that caught a total of 20 passes in seven games. It's a gamble the Bucs are taking, because they believe in what they have.

"We expect everybody to step up in a big way and [we’re] still leaning on our offensive line – [I] thought they played great," Bucs Quarterback Baker Mayfield said. "Obviously, in the past few weeks, I think they’ve played really well and [our running] backs continue to play well, so it’s just going to be a full group effort. It’s going to look different, but that’s okay, and you know what, it’ll be a little bit more creative, and we’ll have some fun with it."

"We have to pick up where we left off," Bucs' Rookie Wide Receiver Jalen McMillen said. "At the end of the day, them being absent shouldn’t make our offense worse, it should stay the same. We just want to continue to improve and be better every week for those guys as well."

So, the Bucs believe they have enough talent on the team to make up some of the void left by Bucs Wide Receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but Sterling Shepard, a veteran receiver who has been through team injuries before, admits there is some grieving to get over.

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"I feel like we have the right group of guys to go do this thing," Shepard said. "Yeah, you're going to have to go through a little time of grief, but it's got to snap right back into game mode."

The Bucs believe despite the two key losses to their team, they're still playoff contenders.

"Right now in the present moment, we're a 4-3 team that's got to go beat a division opponent coming in and that's the word I'm preaching to the entire locker room," Bucs Cornerback Zyon McCollum said. "We have no time to stay down. It's a long season. We have to stay up. That's the only way we get to a Super Bowl."

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