It has been 393 days since Antonio Brown was final on an NFL roster. However on Friday evening, it appeared the previous All-Professional receiver’s lengthy wait was on the verge of ending when it was reported that Brown and the Buccaneers had agreed on a one-year contract. 

The Buccaneers, on the reported urging of quarterback Tom Brady, are including a seven-time Professional Bowler and four-time All-Professional receiver to an offense that already consists of two future Corridor of Famers in Brady and tight finish Rob Gronkowski. Tampa Bay’s offense additionally consists of three-time Professional Bowl receiver Mike Evans, 2019 Professional Bowl receiver Chris Godwin, and operating backs Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones and LeSean McCoy. With Brown’s addition, the Buccaneers offense will flaunt a bunch of ability place gamers that features 36 mixed Professional Bowl choices.

This is a projection of what the Buccaneers’ offensive depth chart will appear to be for Week 9, when Brown is anticipated to make his 2020 debut. 

Whereas Brown could function in two-wide units sooner or later, the secure wager is that he’ll play behind both Godwin (who has missed three video games with an harm) and Evans in these seems to be towards the Saints. Brown will look to enrich Evans (23 catches, 281 yards, six touchdowns), Scott Miller (16 catches, 256 yards) and Gronkowski, who caught his first landing as a Buccaneer throughout Tampa Bay’s 38-10 romp of Inexperienced Bay final Sunday. The addition of Brown also needs to assist create more room for rookie Tyler Johnson, a fifth-round decide who caught his first profession landing throughout Sunday’s win over Inexperienced Bay. 

Brown will likely be but an alternative choice for Brady, who after a sluggish begin in Tampa Bay has thrown 11 touchdowns towards only one interception over the previous three video games. One can assume that Brown’s presence may even create extra operating lanes for Fournette and Jones, who’ve mixed to hurry for 595 yards and 5 touchdowns whereas averaging 4.9 yards per carry.   

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The Buccaneers already possessed one of many league’s prime offenses. Heading into Sunday’s recreation towards the Raiders, the Buccaneers have been eighth within the league in scoring (averaging 29.5 factors per recreation), largely as a result of their success within the purple zone, the place they’re fourth within the NFL in effectivity. The addition of Brown ought to assist them enhance upon their No. 18 rating in third down effectivity. Brown’s presence also needs to increase a Tampa Bay passing assault that’s at the moment seventeenth within the league in yards gained. 

Whereas there are a number of tangible features to including a participant of his caliber, what the group may achieve from Brown so far as intangibles are involved may fluctuate significantly. Whereas his exercise regiment, which at one level was thought of among the many finest in soccer, may function a welcomed instance to his youthful teammates, Brown’s emotional outbursts can even create pointless distractions whereas difficult the inside cloth of a group. Perhaps Brown, now 32, has realized to channel these outbursts throughout his time away from soccer. Perhaps he’s extra motivated than ever to win the championship that eluded him through the first decade of his profession. Perhaps he’s really able to sacrifice particular person accolades for group success. 

Regardless of the motive, Brown, after publicly considering retirement a number of instances over the previous 12 months, will try to resume his profession as soon as his suspension is over. Assuming that almost all of his bodily expertise are nonetheless intact, Brown’s presence must be sufficient to — not less than — assist propel the Buccaneers to their first playoff look since 2008. If Brown if in some way capable of return to his 2018 self, Tampa followers may presumably begin dreaming of a Tremendous Bowl that includes the hometown group.