If the Buccaneers are going to win a game this year, they’ll have to do it without wide receiver Mike Williams.
The Bucs announced Monday that they have placed Williams on injured reserve, ending his season and leaving the Buccaneers without one of their starting wideouts the rest of the way. Williams has been battling a hamstring injury for several weeks and said after last Thursday’s loss to the Panthers that it was torn rather than strained, which signaled that this move would be coming in short order.
Williams signed a six-year extension with the Bucs before the start of the regular season, so he’ll be back next season after rehabbing the injury. He ends this season with 22 catches for 216 yards and no touchdowns, a disappointing level of production amid a disappointing season for the Buccaneers as a whole.
Tiquan Underwood, Chris Owusu and Eric Page are a few of the options to replace Williams in the starting lineup. None of them has shown the ability to be an effective NFL receiver on a consistent basis to this point in their careers, which should mean as much work for Vincent Jackson as he could handle.