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Report: Buccaneers' Mike Evans Avoided 'Major' Hamstring Injury, 'Should Be OK'
December 20, 2021
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans reportedly "should be OK" after suffering a hamstring injury in Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the update Monday, saying the injury was "nothing major."
Evans' injury was a series of blows to the Tampa Bay offense on Sunday. Chris Godwin will miss the remainder of the regular season with an MCL sprain, and Leonard Fournette will miss "a game or two" with a hamstring injury, per Rapoport.
Evans caught only one pass for 14 yards in Sunday's loss and has 64 catches for 899 yards and 11 touchdowns for the season.
The 28-year-old finished the 2020 season with 70 receptions for 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns. He became the only player in league history to begin his career with seven seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards.
Thanks partially to Evans' efforts, the Buccaneers made the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Bucs ended up winning the Super Bowl, taking down the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.
The Texas A&M product has missed only six games during his seven-year NFL career, and one was because of a suspension served after he fought New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore in 2017.
A hamstring injury forced Evans to go on injured reserve in 2019, and he missed the final three games of that year. A similar issue forced him to miss the 2015 season opener, and a groin ailment kept him out for an Oct. 5, 2014 contest against the Saints.
He played all 16 games in 2020 but suffered a knee injury against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 that forced him to leave the field on a cart. However, he was able to return for his team's 31-23 Wild Card Round win over the Washington Football Team six days later.
Without Evans and Godwin, expect the Bucs to lean more on Tyler Johnson and Rob Gronkowski in the passing game. Antonio Brown is also expected to return this week after serving a three-game suspension for presenting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to the NFL.