The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might finally catch a break and get one of their best players back from injury.
As shown by insider Rick Stroud, wide receiver Mike Evans is back at practice as they prepare to face the Detroit Lions in Week 7.
Evans sustained a hamstring injury in their Week 3 win against the New York Jets.
Bucs Mike Evans returned to practice. pic.twitter.com/4ZAFi2Ombz
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) October 16, 2025
He’s been Baker Mayfield’s preferred and most reliable target, and with wideouts Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. also dealing with injuries of their own, his return would be a welcome sight for the quarterback.
It’s also worth noting that Evans will have some catching up to do for the remainder of the season.
He’s missed three games, so he’s far behind his yearly pace of at least 1,000 receiving yards.
He has reached that milestone in every season of his 11-year career, and needs to do it once more to break a tie with legend Jerry Rice.
So far this season, Evans has 14 receptions for 140 yards and one touchdown.
Prior to the injury, he wasn’t as reliable as in the past, as he dropped a couple of passes and only caught half of his 28 targets.
Yet, with the Bucs’ pass-heavy offense and Mayfield looking forward to this reunion, those numbers should go up significantly.
The Bucs will face a tough challenge on “Monday Night Football” against the Lions, but they could get a boost from their Pro Bowl wide receiver.
