Mike Evans injury: When will Buccaneers WR return?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been sidelined since injuring his hamstring in the team's 9-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints. He was not on the field for Tampa Bay’s most recent game, a 32-6 win against the Carolina Panthers.

To add to his woes, the Buccaneers announced earlier this week that Evans had been added to the NFL’s recently adjusted COVID reserve list.

However, in a fortunate turn of events for Tampa Bay, Evans was officially activated off the COVID list recently, according to Ian Rapoport. Evans was officially activated off the COVID reserve list by the Buccaneers recently. Leaving him and the team with one less headache to deal with.

This opens up the prospect of Evans returning to the team prior to their Week 17 game versus the New York Jets on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

A short time ago, the NFL overhauled their protocols with respect to COVID-19 with the objective of having vaccinated players being able to test out of protocols. Now, a player simply has to be asymptomatic and log two negative tests within a span of 24 hours.

Another option is for players to take two PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests that generate Cycle Threshold values of 35 or greater.

Tampa Bay could use the services of their three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver as they will be without their other top wideout in Chris Godwin. Godwin tore his ACL in the same Saints game that Evans injured his hamstring. He will be out for the rest of the 2021 regular season and the playoffs.

This season for Tampa Bay, Evans has played in 14 games, racking up 899 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns on 64 receptions. His 11 touchdowns lead the team and the 64 receptions are the third-most behind Godwin (98) and running back Leonard Fournette (69).

What Mike Evans’ return means for Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Jacksonville Jaguars

Evans is one of Tom Brady's favorite targets and having him back will be a massive boost for the Bucs. The Pro Bowl wideout has 100 targets, second to Godwin’s 124. Evans will join the likes of Antonio Brown, Jaelon Darden and Scotty Miller as part of the wide receiving corps.

Add in a tight end group consisting of Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard to the mix, and the Buccaneers offense looks set to continue firing on all cylinders. They are currently ranked second in the league in total points per game with 29.5.