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Bucs Mailbag: Is Trey Palmer WR3?

August 22, 2023
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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account each week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: Who will be the Bucs’ WR3 and why will it be Trey Palmer?

Bucs WR Trey Palmer

Bucs WR Trey Palmer – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: With Russell Gage’s season-ending knee injury it certainly seems like rookie Trey Palmer has the inside track to be the team’s No. 3 wide receiver. The Bucs’ sixth-round pick has been very impressive while catching two touchdowns in two preseason games – both in dramatic fashion. Palmer has good size at 6-0, 192, and is similarly built to Gage – just faster.

Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales has shown a penchant for playing a lot of wide receivers, and he’ll utilize every receiver who dresses on game day. We know Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are the Bucs’ starting receivers. The third receiver might be Palmer, but it also might be a rotation of the other receivers who make the 53-man roster. If I had to guess right now the other three receivers who make the team are Devin Thompkins, veteran David Moore and rookie Rakim Jarrett.

Palmer is off to a great start in Tampa Bay and this doesn’t look like a fluke. He was scoring touchdowns in rookie mini-camp, in OTAs and he’s also dazzled in training camp. Just ask Jets star cornerback Sauce Gardner. This kid looks like the real deal and is deserving of more playing time. Pencil him in as WR3 right now.

QUESTION: Who do you think wins the slot role on both sides? Deven Thompkins and Dee Delaney seems to make the most sense to me.

Bucs CB Dee Delaney Arians

Bucs CB Dee Delaney – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: The slot roles are quite different on both sides of the ball. Todd Bowles is looking for a starting nickelback to play the slot and replace Antoine Winfield Jr. After suggesting undrafted free agent Christian Izien was the front-runner two weeks ago, the rookie got hurt and missed some practice time and the season preseason game at New York. Veteran Dee Delaney was the starting slot corner all throughout the offseason and is probably considered the favorite to start there against the Vikings on opening day.

Bowles loves Delaney because he’s versatile enough to play both safety positions and outside cornerback, in addition to the slot. Both Izien and sixth-round pick Josh Hayes have received quite a bit of playing time with the starters in camp to try out for the position. But Delaney is an experienced playmaker who had one interception against the Jets and another one called back due to a penalty on another Bucs defender. The guess here is that Delaney starts at nickel, Izien continues to push him for the job and Hayes might wind up as a depth player at the bottom of the 53-man roster or the practice squad.

As for the slot receiver spot on offense, Dave Canales doesn’t have a set slot receiver like Bruce Arians did with Chris Godwin. Instead, Canales will rotate Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and any active Bucs receiver on game day through the slot. The favorite to win the WR3 job is rookie Trey Palmer, so he’ll receive a decent amount of slot reps this year it seems. As for Deven Thompkins, keep in mind he’s 5-foot-7, 150 pounds. He’s just not durable enough to hold up as a down-in, down-out receiver.

QUESTION: Everything okay with Rachaad White? Any injury concerns?

ANSWER: Everything is okay with Rachaad White. If you don’t believe me, get it straight from the horse’s mouth.
https://twitter.com/Chaad_1/status/1690820461574111232?s=20
The Bucs held White out of the first two preseason games to try to get a better look at Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who is in a contract year, and last year’s practice-squader Patrick Laird, in addition to a slew of newcomers in Chase Edmonds, Sean Tucker and Ronnie Brown. White is 100 percent healthy and has been named the starter, so the team is resting him in the preseason to prepare him for the 17-week season. And he will play at least a series or two in the preseason finale on Saturday versus Baltimore.

QUESTION: How much playing time do you see Chase Edmonds getting in the first quarter of the season?

Bucs RB Chase Edmonds

Bucs RB Chase Edmonds – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: Chase Edmonds really turned it on in the second week of training camp and had a nice Bucs debut in Tampa Bay’s preseason opener versus Pittsburgh. Edmonds showed great burst and acceleration, and had a 20-yard dash called back due to a questionable holding penalty on Luke Goedeke. Sean Tucker is the fastest running back in the Bucs’ backfield, but Edmonds might be second.

The free agent addition is also a slippery back on screen passes and has nice hands. Don’t be surprised to see offensive coordinator Dave Canales motion Edmonds out of the backfield and into the slot on occasion to be used as a receiver, or used downfield on wheel routes. Edmonds has great hands, and like starter Rachaad White, he can play on all three downs.

Edmonds got banged up a bit and didn’t dress for the second preseason game. That allowed Tucker, an undrafted free agent, to make a very good impression while averaging 5.3 yards per carry thanks in part to a 26-yard dash on fourth-and-1. Edmonds will get a decent amount of playing time in the first quarter of the season due to his experience, but Tucker has the talent and athleticism to take over as RB2 at some point during the season.

QUESTION: Tell us your surprise cut during roster cutdown.

Bucs C Ryan Jensen

Bucs C Ryan Jensen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: I don’t know if I have a surprise roster cutdown right now. I’m beginning to think more and more that center Ryan Jensen might start the season on injured reserve due to the fact that he doesn’t seem to be making progress with his knee. In order for Jensen to not be lost for the year, the Bucs would have to keep him on the 53-man roster for roster cutdowns and then put him on I.R. the next day. Only under that scenario could he possibly return this season after sitting out the first four games.

But does Jensen need another month – or two? Does he need another season out of action to let his knee heal? He decided against surgery, but in hindsight that might not have been the best idea given the fact that his knee is not strong or stable enough to practice in 11-on-11 team periods – or even two days in a row.
Keep in mind Jensen is 32 years old. The fact that the team has been very secretive about his progress – or lack thereof – is very concerning at this point in time. I’m not sure when he returns this season, or if he even does. One has to wonder if Jensen might be forced to retire if his knee does not come around this year – even with another month or two on injured reserve.

The post Bucs Mailbag: Is Trey Palmer WR3? appeared first on Pewter Report.

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