Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp Update - Receivers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a group of receivers that could be one of the best, but very easily could be very bad as well. They are a mix of older veterans, and young players that have been up and down. Predicting what will happen this season would be folly, as the variables are everywhere. They do have the makings of a pretty good unit, however, and if things go their way they might just surprise the NFL.

Joey Galloway has been simply amazing for Tampa and he does not seem to be slowing down. Galloway has had two straight 1000+ yard seasons in Tampa, and 22 touchdowns in his three seasons. All of this while in his mid thirties, and in an offense that has left much to be desired. There is every reason to believe that Galloway will continue to be steady, and if his legs hold out, he might make it three years in a row. It is after Galloway that the receiving group starts to get real question marks.

Listed second on the depth chart for the Bucs is second year man, Maurice Stovall. Stovall had a decent rookie campaign and looked very good at the end of the year when he got some starts. He has the NFL prototype build for a NFL receiver at 6'4" and a solid 225 pounds. With that kind of size, you can see why the Bucs are so high on him. He is deceptively fast, and very strong running his routes. Once he gets some playing time under his belt, expect this guy to shine. He will be a pleasant surprise in Tampa this season.

Next on the depth chart is the frustrating Michael Clayton. This guy started his career like a madman, catching everything that went into the air. His rookie season of 2004 read like an NFL star with 1193 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. Since his monster rookie season, he has been a huge disappointment, not matching those numbers with the years since combined. He has one touchdown since his rookie year, and two straight seasons of 350 yards or so. It is hard to figure what is causing the meltdown, though some have questioned his dedication.