The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need all resources on the field against the New Orleans Saints, with the offense continuing to be smashed by injuries.
Already without Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, and Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay also lost Mike Evans, leaving Baker Mayfield’s weapons severely depleted.
But when the door of opportunity swings open, it is up to someone to walk through it, and for the past three weeks, that player has been rookie Tez Johnson. Three games of 45+ yards, along with two touchdowns, Johnson is doing his best with what is the opportunity of a lifetime.
And offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard has nothing but praise for Tez.
“It’s great to see because he just continues to improve each week,” Grizzard said. “He is electric with the ball in his hands. Had some big plays. His ability to keep running. It was not fun being in the two-minute drill for that long, but he was out there battling and wanted the ball.
“There’s some rookie mistakes he’s got to clean up, but he’s in a really good spot, and he comes out here and brings energy, and he’s deserving of the ball.”
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Can Tez lead Buccaneers to win over Saints?
Johnson will have to play his part, no doubt. With Emeka Egbuka, Cade Otton, Sterling Shepard, and Kameron Johnson, the other weapons, it is going to take a collective effort to win on the road in New Orleans.
But with Tez’s explosiveness and speed, he might be he ace in Grizzard’s deck, and his long-winding touchdown against the Detroit Lions shows what a menace he can be on open space, so getting the ball to him early and allowing the rookie to do his thing might be the best course of action.
The run game with Rachaad White and Sean Tucker will also be key, but Mayfield’s receivers will have to pull their weight as well, and Baker might continue to look Tez’s way, as the chemistry is starting to build.
Grizzard says Tez is deserving of the ball; let’s see if he sees his number called more often against the Saints.
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