The Detroit Lions are hosting the 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night for their final game before their bye week. For the second straight week, the Lions will be very short-handed in the defensive backfield. Their issues were exacerbated by the NFL's decision on Wednesday night to uphold Brian Branch's one game suspension. In addition to Detroit's significant absences on their secondary, the latest injury report from Tampa makes things even more challenging for the Lions.
Bucs reporter Rick Stroud posted on X that star receiver Mike Evans is returning to practice on Thursday. Evans has missed the last three weeks with a hamstring injury, but now sounds like is on track to make his return in Week 7. This will give a big boost to an already potent Bucs offense who has put up the sixth-most points in the NFL through six weeks.
Mike Evans' Return Poses Big Challenge for Lions Defense in Week 7
Tampa Bay's first-round pick WR Emeka Egbuka is already looking like a star, putting up 469 receiving yards and five touchdowns in six games so far. Having Evans back will give the Bucs one of the best one-two punches in the league. Fortunately for the Lions at least, Chris Godwin is not expected to play with a fibula injury.
It's hard to find a WR that is more consistently productive than Evans in NFL history. He has the remarkable 1,000+ yard streak going for the past 11 seasons and has shown no signs of slowing down in recent years, putting up 24 touchdowns in 31 games in the last two seasons, making back-to-back Pro Bowls for his sixth selection of his career.
Covering Evans and Egbuka will be an uphill battle for the short-handed Lions defense. Terrion Arnold, Avonte Maddox, DJ Reed, Khalil Dorsey are all out and with Branch's suspension, Dan Campbell has to dig deep into his bench. Amik Robertson is expected to start on the outside opposite Rock Ya-Sin, but who will start at safety next to Kerby Joseph is currently unclear. Thomas Harper or Erick Hallett are the favorites to earn that starting spot on Monday.
The Lions signed DB Jammie Robinson on Thursday, and will also likely elevate Arthur Maulet to the active roster once again. They will provide much-needed depth in the backfield, but how effective they can be considering how little experience and familiarity they have with this team must be giving the Lions' coaching staff headaches heading into the Bucs matchup.