It will be interesting to see if it was a mistake or not to go with essentially the same cast of receivers as last season.  Three of the five main guys are downright old and their performance could head south at any time.  Joey Galloway continues to defy all logic as he continues to be an elite deep threat despite his advancing age.   He played in 16 games (14 starts) last season for the Bucs and he caught 62 passes for 1,057 yards (17.0 avg) with 7 TD grabs and he also has carried the ball 2 times for 9 yards (4.5 ypc).  Look for Galloway to again be the go-to guy in the passing game for the Bucs as long as he stays healthy and productive.  He has now played in 161 games (151 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 612 passes for 9,558 yards (15.6 avg) with 71 TD grabs and he also has run the football 62 times for 495 yards (8.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.

Second year man Maurice Stovall is rocketing up the depth chart and he will likely start alongside Galloway this season.   Stovall is a big, strong target in the Red Zone and he has good hands but he’s a tad slow and likely won’t run by many defensive backs.   He played in 9 games for the Bucs as a rookie (2 starts) and he caught 7 passes for 102 yards (14.6 avg) and he also ran the ball 2 times for 29 yards (14.5 ypc).  Look for him to have a decent season as long as Jeff Garcia is under center.

Michael Clayton is fading like someone Tony Soprano would throw off of his boat.  He has had nagging injuries the last two seasons and it has effected his play on the field big time.  Clayton played in 12 games (9 starts) last season for the Bucs and he caught 33 passes for 356 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also carried the football 5 times for 41 yards (8.2 ypc).  Clayton will have to hold off Ike Hilliard if he wants to be the #3 WR on the Bucs this season and that will be easier said than done.  Clayton has now played in 42 games (32 starts) in his career and he has caught 145 passes for 1,921 yards (13.2 avg) with 8 TD grabs and he also has carried the football 11 times for 73 yards (6.6 ypc).

Ike Hilliard catches every ball that hits his hands but he just doesn’t have any speed left.  He will likely be the #4 WR on the Bucs unless he can beat out Clayton somehow.  He played in 16 games (0 starts) last season and he caught 34 passes for 339 yards (10.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he also returned 24 punts for 163 yards (6.8 avg).  Hilliard’s career is winding down as he is starting to lose his skill a little bit.  He has now played in 130 games (94 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 437 passes for 5,251 yards (12.0 avg) with 30 TD grabs and he also has carried the football 14 times for 120 yards (8.6 ypc).  Hilliard has also returned 28 career punts for 189 yards (6.8 avg).

David Boston was with the Bucs last season but he didn’t play in a game.  Just the fact that they kept him around makes me think they like him and still thinks he has something left.  We shall see.   He has played in 75 games (61 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 315 passes for 4,699 yards (14.9 avg) with 25 TD grabs and he has also carried the ball 18 times for 91 yards (5.1 ypc).