The injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have put the spotlight on the rest of Tampa Bay’s wide receiver corps.

“I have a lot of confidence in these guys,” Mayfield said Wednesday. “Obviously I’ve had a good relationship with Trey since last year, obviously with Sterling for years and with Jalen throughout the offseason and in training camp. I expect these guys to have success and play really well, and you know, they’ll have success all week. “We’re on the same page of the game plan as we continue to get to the heart of things. We expect everyone to make a lot of progress and (we) still lean on our offensive line – (I) thought they played great.

The loss of Mayfield’s two most important targets cannot be overstated. Evans and Godwin are the only teammates to each have more than five receiving touchdowns in 2024 – Evans: six rec TDs, tied for first in the NFL; Godwin: five rec TDs, tied for third.

According to NFL Research, Mayfield has a passer rating of 101.7 when Evans and Godwin are both on the field since the QB joined the Buccaneers in 2023. When at least one of them is not on the field, the passer rating drops to 88.4, and when neither of them is on the field, the passer rating is 54.9.

Behind Godwin (50 catches, 576 yards) and Evans (45 catches, 335 yards), Shepard is the Buccaneers’ third-best wide receiver in 2024 with eight receptions and 93 receiving yards.