Time to prove worth.

Joe typed after the draft noting Bucs losers that week included receivers Ryan Miller, Rakim Jarrett and Trey Palmer.

Why is that? Because the Bucs sandwiched their draft with a top-shelf receiver in Emeka Egbuka and a squirrel-like returner/receiver in Tez Johnson.

If those guys make the team — well, if Johnson makes the team; no one in their right mind thinks Egbuka won’t — that means two receivers from last year’s squad likely could walk the plank.

The Bucs now have so many weapons for Baker Mayfield, he may have the deepest receiver room in the league, typed Dalton Wasserman of the PFF tribe.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Deepest receiving corps in the league?

The Buccaneers made one of the most surprising moves of the first round by selecting wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with the 19th overall pick. Coming off a strong free agency period in which they re-signed Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay has quietly assembled what may be the deepest receiving corps in the NFL. Egbuka and Godwin now join Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, Sterling Shepard and seventh-round pick Tez Johnson in a stacked, versatile group of pass-catchers.

With this arsenal at his disposal, Baker Mayfield enters 2025 with more weapons than ever, and the Bucs’ offense could be one of the most dangerous in the league if everything clicks.

As a general manager told Joe a long time ago, if you aren’t starting, you better be able to play special teams, or you’re an endangered species.

Thus far, Palmer has never been able to connect smoothly with Mayfield on deep passes. That’s the main reason Palmer is on the team, along with his return ability. Palmer has also been meh as a return man. So if Johnson can prove reliable on deep passes and be a dangerous returner, then Palmer better hope he’s renting.

(Why Palmer was not used on short routes to utilize his speed last year, like Dave Canales used him occasionally in 2023, is a mystery to Joe. It’s not like he didn’t have opportunities when both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were sidelined with injuries.)

When a serviceable veteran like Sterling Shepard could be your No. 5 or No. 6 receiver, yeah, Joe would say that’s a fairly deep receiver room.