Searching For The Third Receiver

November 7th, 2022

No. 3 receiver or nah?

Good offenses often are only as good as their No. 3 receiver.

Think about it; If an offense has a stud that is a No. 3, it’s a dangerous offense that can rack up points and is never out of a game.

Think back to when the Bucs had mental patient Antonio Brown. If it wasn’t for that guy’s stunts, he’d be talked about as a sure member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And he was a No. 3 receiver for the Bucs!

Few teams have a secondary that can cover three stud receivers. Joe likes Julio Jones but at this point in his career, Jones is simply unreliable.

Whenever Joe sees Jones on the field, Joe holds his breath waiting for Jones to crumple into a ball after tripping over a blade of grass. Jones is more brittle than a cracker. It’s amazing when he can get out of bed in the morning without breaking or pulling something.

So the Bucs are searching for that elusive No. 3 receiver with Russell Gage injured. Sunday, Scotty Miller had a nice game before he dropped the game-winning touchdown, in part because he jumped for no good reason.

Bad Scotty!

Monday, Todd Bowles discussed the hunt for that elusive third receiver.

“I think it changes each game – whether it’s running back by committee that has the catches, whether it’s Julio, whether it’s Gage, whether it’s Scotty, sometimes it’s Perriman,” Bowles said. “I don’t think we have a solidified third catcher as of right now with Julio having been in and out of the lineup, but I think guys are stepping in and making plays, and kind of as a group slowly forming that aspect of it.”

Breshad Perriman has been way too inconsistent for Joe’s liking. He will make a kick-arse play and then chokes on the next three targets.

Russell Gage has been a huge disappointment as a big-money free agent. Seeing him in training camp Gage was absolutely lighting things up. At one point Bowles remarked that his defense couldn’t cover Gage.

Joe knows the name of the perfect No. 3 receiver for the 2022 Bucs: Odell Beckham.

54 Responses to “Searching For The Third Receiver”

  1. Bucanero Says:

    Great WR room, problem has been injuries and some mental fogginess. They will get it together. Sure get as many injury prone stars in the mix. Eventually will need everybody we can get. Still expecting good things from Julio and Gage. Not a huge disappointment as of yet. Respectfully disagree Joe.

  2. Marine Buc Says:

    When we find our coveted #3 receiver I really hope he doesn’t drop an easy game winning touchdown with 60 seconds left on the clock…

    I am a Scoot Miller fan but dam son… CATCH THE EFFING BALL!!!!!!!!

    Especially in the endzone… Hit you right in the face!!!

    That was gross.

  3. Tbbucs3 Says:

    You simply cannot trust Julio, Perriman, Gage and Scotty Miller.

    I don’t even know if I can turst Godwin at this point, he looks like a shell of himself.

  4. Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:

    It was Scotty Miller and Cade Otten who won the game for us, with Brady.
    I agree that Gage has been a total bust for us this year, after all that money we gave him.
    Same with Kyle Rudolph, shall I go on ?

  5. Buddha Says:

    Don’t count out Gage. They are trying to get his leg injury to heal. He’ll be back after the bye week. He is a good player who likely should not have been in the lineup at the start of the season. He will make amends. As for Beckham–no way. Have you watched Godwin. he is not the same player he was before the injury. He doesn’t trust the knee. He will get better but they are not letting him run downfield at all. This offense has been decimated by injuries. Even Evans was playing hurt after the hard hit he took in the first half. Maybe Scotty will finally get a real chance.

  6. Buccos Says:

    Gage will be our number 3 when he gets healthy. Jones looks done. Miller is a great number 4. And Perriman has his moments. Miller can be a number 3 if necessary. He played a great game last night. I’m very excited that TB12 and Miller seem to have reconnected

  7. Buddha Says:

    I said no way because OB will not be the same player he was until next season.

  8. JimmyJack Says:

    We will never have a dangerous offense because we only trow the ball 2-3 yards.

  9. David Says:

    I had no idea Julio Jones was this fragile. He’s been a waste.
    Russell Gage- I’m still holding out hope for this year and I think moving forward he will be the third guy.
    Perriman & Miller…. I’m over both of them. Next year I think they need to move on from them.

  10. Hondo Says:

    When should we expect Gronk back.

  11. Redeemer Says:

    It’s Evans, Godwin and everyone else. Lenny is the third leading reciever, followed by Otton I believe. If Gronk had played, this team is 6-3 at worst. You can’t replace hall of fame talent with rookies and dart throwing at free agents. Brady is looking for favorable matchups.

  12. Smashsquatch Says:

    If Scooter can stay healthy, and he is, he can fill the void. He can work the slot, and has the wheels to get deep. I’m guessing his stamina is up for it too. Now is the time to play him. He’s a twitch athlete, and it stands out when he’s healthy. Perriman lacks twitch, he’s more like a one trick pony than Miller. Julio can’t stay healthy, and the same goes for Gage; playing either at less than 100% hurts the Bucs. So invest playing time in Miller and watch his confidence grow. And yes, same goes for Rachaad. Play them both!

  13. SB~LV Says:

    Devin Thompkins if Julio is kaput

  14. AbucAway Says:

    All of the WR3 guys are inconsistent, in their own way. All of them combined equal one reliable WR3

  15. Roc Says:

    Maybe we should look for another Coach

    Oh wait they won so all is good with Bowles

    Right😉

  16. captivajim Says:

    gage is big disappointment, perriman is just not consistent , jones is done;; i say play Scotty .. If we can string a 6 game win streak together —maybe Odell shows up …

  17. Redeemer Says:

    What listn said

  18. Goatfarmer Says:

    Beckham is about as brittle as Julio and half as mental. Great idea.

  19. Eric Says:

    #18 Tyler Johnson is that guy

  20. Goatfarmer Says:

    Anyone know the health status for Winfield and Logan Ryan for Munchen on Sunday?

  21. Darin Says:

    If the guy calling the plays doesn’t get canned or switch things up it won’t matter who the receivers are. Can’t even get number one and two on track. The guys a mess. I’m sure I wasnt the only one who wanted that L yesterday so Byron was sent packing. Be who you be somewhere else!

  22. LakelandSteve Says:

    Brady is lights out with a good number 3 who can work the middle of the field, can constantly be in the right place as an outlet during blitzes and can catch everything. I don’t think Scooter has proven that he can be that guy. Godwin could be that guy but still may be a ways off until he can be consistent throughout an entire game.

  23. Conte Piscatelli Says:

    I like Otten for third pass catcher. He seems to have reliable hands and I’ve seen him move pretty good with the ball in his hands after the catch.

  24. Kentucky Buc Says:

    Scotty is a body catcher. That’s why he jumped. Can’t believe somebody hasn’t broken him of that by now. Hands first then pull into body.

  25. Statguy Says:

    Miller has improved and show he can run more than 1 route. Most the other WR use to be better and are regressing, so he has his youth on his side. Trust perriman more than I do gage. Julio at this point is ike Hillard on the field and in the trainijg room more than Gronk was

  26. Irishmist Says:

    What about Darden? He is starting to look a lot more comfortable returning punts, and he is fairly shifty. I would love to see us run a version of that play that Kupp burned us on in the 3rd quarter. Fake a jet sweep to him then have him go out and cut back across the field in the other direction and hopefully Brady can hit him in stride. This offense needs some long TDs and explosive plays, and he seems like one of the few receivers we have who can give us that right now.

  27. Jgar Says:

    I agree with Darden. I have been wanting to see what he can do on offense since he got here. He almost dropped a punt but kept his concentration and recovered. No more complaining about blocking if he is in charge of getting himself open. Otherwise, he is fine returning punts. Someone that small won’t last long if he takes too much contact trying to get a few more yards. 10-12 yard average is not too bad in this NFL

  28. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    When you have 8 #3 WRs….you don’t have any.

    Gage is not a bust….he’s been injured the entire year and has played with a bad hamstring…..it needs to heal.

    Our # 3 receiver right now is Lenny…..unfortunately.

  29. JimmyfromNY Says:

    Explain to me why so Grayson isn’t back? He obviously had a good connection with Brady and he can get up and down the field he’s light years better than Perryman in my estimation

  30. BuxfaninTX Says:

    Great players are great when it’s nut cutting time…Scotty whiffed on his chance

  31. tampabayallday Says:

    Darden is trash

  32. Craig Says:

    The Bucs need to keep a fast receiver in most of the time, Somebody who can blow the top off will keep the safeties honest.

    Two deep safeties are Brady’s kryptonite.

  33. bob Says:

    somebody every week should step up to be the number 3

  34. bucs4life Says:

    The easy way out here is to just blame Scotty, Mike, Julio, Chris and Gage. The tough pill to swallow is to acknowledge that Bowles, Leftwich and Licht have a lot of responsibility. The coaching is terrible and Licht has left a lot of gaping holes in the Offensive Line. Brady barely had 2 seconds to throw yesterday. Can you believe this? Look at how much time Mahomes and Jackson are getting with their Offensive Lines. Let alone the TE position. Brady, Evans and the boys deserve a well-rounded offense so they can make plays.

  35. Tbbucs3 Says:

    “Look at how much time Mahomes and Jackson are getting with their Offensive Lines”

    Mahomes and Jacksons Olines aren’t perfect either but they aren’t complete statues in the pocket like Brady is….they create more time when the line breaks down.

    Play calling is not a simple as lots of arm chair QBs make it out to be….yes Left which was bad last night, but part of the reason we were so conservative last night is because the Rams Dline would’ve destroyed Tom Brady if we tried to force the ball downfield all game

  36. Dom>Light Says:

    Who is Miami 3rd wide out? FINs look 100% better than us in offense right now!

  37. LastDance Says:

    Tbbucs3 at it again… HAHA! You are right and wrong (though mostly wrong). It is IN FACT pretty simple to not be predictable. How bout that. I guess you liked running for nothing on every first down? And also on second and short? You are right though, play calling at an elite level is not easy. If it were easy a doofus like BL could do it but he cant because its not easy and he cannot do his job. Still making millions to suck… gotta love it. I hope you’re not OK with that. Also, if they mixed in hurry-up at random times instead of at predictable times (like when their hair is on fire) it would wear the opposing defense down more than having 7 3 and outs will.

  38. JimmyfromNY Says:

    Some of you nitwits are absolutely astounding , the reason Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson leave the pocket is because they can’t decipher the defense and can’t get the ball out like Brady in the same amount of time . They are putting there body at risk yes they make some splash plays but in general those quarterbacks don’t win Super Bowls. Mahomes has been an absolute disaster in the two Super Bowls he’s played and lucky for him Jimmy G pooped his pants in the fourth quarter ,?Lamar Jackson’s been an absolute fraud in the playoffs look at his numbers. Ridiculous take

  39. Tbbucs3 Says:

    Last Dance.

    See where I said Leftwhich was “bad last night”….

    But you can’t just blame every issue the Bucs have on offense on everyone besides Brady….he’s the one that’s leading a bottom 5 offense in the NFL right now…..but let’s keep celebrating those garbage time yards and that 1 interception he’s thrown

  40. Tbbucs3 Says:

    JimmyfromNY

    300 Yards 3 TDs and a Superbowl win is a diaster in your book?

  41. View from 132 Says:

    The 3rd receiver is already out there… Cade Otton. He make a great catch on a bad throw to kick off the final drive. He’s the new Gronk… it’s clear Brady likes him.

  42. Goatfarmer Says:

    I don’t care about the Jets, I just wanna kiss you.

  43. Goatfarmer Says:

    But it’s a great thing to watch the Aints get humiliated. And to think JaMiss can’t beat out the washed up Andy Dalton.

  44. 1sparkybuc Says:

    Has Thompkins ever dropped a pass? Just asking.

  45. Goatfarmer Says:

    Meanwhile Toad’s Bowelswich losing consecutive games to the decimated Steelers and tanking Panthers is inexcusable and accountability must be taken. It hasn’t been.

    Glazers?

  46. Caleb lee Says:

    If I recall correctly B.A. told Scooter Miller to keep his feet on the ground… could only imagine his reaction to the dropped TD catch..

  47. Daryl Green Says:

    I like when I watch other teams.
    Their receivers seems so quick, getting
    In & out of breaks. We look slow.

  48. Just Leave Trask Alone Says:

    It’s Miller time. Get on the train or get left at the station.

  49. Goatfarmer Says:

    Scotty – give him the number 3 chance. He dropped a big one but he caught some big ones and he has delivered in the past. If he can’t let him show he can’t in Munchen. Julio is a waste, Gage has been a wreck, Perriman is apparently off his ADHD meds and Darden wouldn’t get a sniff from Brady if his little panties fell on the turf.

    Scotty. If he fails, ok you tried, but he’s the best of the worst they have right now.

  50. captivajim Says:

    Scotty has something to prove , he’s healthy, he’s fast ; play him

  51. Anonymous Says:

    Scotty did well except you that one end zone drop but hey it was suppose to end like it did so we could all break The Geselilator Curse

  52. orlbucfan Says:

    Hey Tbbucs3, according to the TB groupies on here, fossil12 is the Second Coming. Supposedly, he’s got the power to change any play he wants. How about more passes to Otton? R. White? Plus, this is a new OLine. They take time to jell. Losing Ali Marpet to retirement was a huge blow. You can’t blame the coaches for that one.

  53. JimmyfromNY Says:

    T buc Patrick Mahomes has two touchdowns and four interceptions in the Super Bowl with a 64 rating yes he’s been terrible sorry bud!!

  54. Capt.Tim Says:

    Justin Watson is looking good!
    . . . Oooh . .