The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one step closer to getting a key member of their offense back. Wide receiver Mike Evans returned to practice and will play against the New York Giants in Week 12 on Sunday.
Coach Todd Bowles said, via a transcript from the Bucs, "We'll play him as long as he's healthy and fresh. If he needs to be in there, he'll be in there, but we'll get him out when we have to."
On Friday, Evans said he feels "really good," adding, "this week definitely built my confidence," as he preps for his return.
"Obviously the bye week helped, but I feel better than I did going into the Ravens game. So that's a good thing," he said.
Evans was limited in Wednesday's practice and was a full participant on Thursday.
Evans has been sidelined since Week 7, when he went down with a hamstring injury in their loss against the Baltimore Ravens. He missed three games with what Bowles called "a moderate" hamstring injury. Evans hadn't previously missed a game since the 2022 season.
The 31-year-old missed games against the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers before the team's Week 11 bye. Evans was not placed on injured reserve, meaning he can return whenever he is ready.
So far this season, Evans has 26 receptions on 45 targets for 335 yards and six touchdowns in seven games.
When he suffered the injury, he was able to walk off the field and into the locker room on his own. In that same game, he became the 11th player in league history to score 100 receiving touchdowns and just the fifth to record all of them with the same franchise.
That defeat to the Ravens was not just a loss of a game, but they also lost Evans and fellow wide receiver Chris Godwin in that matchup. Godwin dislocated his ankle and is out for the remainder of the season. Without the pass-catching duo, the Bucs have lost their last three games after a 4-3 start.
Tampa Bay is now 4-6 and in second place in a close NFC South race.