Last offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed free agent wide receiver Russell Gage to a three-year contract worth up to $30 million.
After watching Gage gash them for four years as a member of the division-rival Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs threw big money at Gage to be their No. 3 receiver behind Pro Bowlers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
While fighting through injuries for much of the season, Gage tallied just 426 yards receiving in 2022. Another injury limited him for much of the offseason program, as well as the start of training camp.
Gage took a pay cut this offseason to remain in Tampa Bay, appeared to finally be healthy as the Bucs kicked off their preseason slate last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But during Wednesday's joint practices with the New York Jets, Gage suffered was appears to be a season-ending knee injury.
It's a devastating turn of events for Gage, and one that leaves the Bucs with a gaping hole at that WR3 spot. Veterans Julio Jones, Breshad Perriman, Scotty Miller and others were all allowed to walk in free agency this offseason.
Enter Trey Palmer.
Despite being a top-100 player in Athlon Sports' ranking of the top 300 prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft class, the Bucs were able to trade up and steal him in the sixth round. Palmer's combination of adequate size and elite speed made it a huge surprise to see him still available that late in the draft.
That combination might prove to be a trump card that gives him an edge over other potential candidates to replace Gage. Second-year receivers Deven Thompkins and Kaylon Geiger have shown impressive flashes after being signed as undrafted free agents last year, but neither have Palmer's size/speed combo. Nor does David Moore, who has the most experience of the other receivers on the roster. Rookie undrafted free agent Rakim Jarrett has been impressive in camp, and could make the roster as the lasts receiver, but Palmer still appears to have the most upside of anyone on the list.
Palmer's impressive skill set has already been on display, highlighted by a toe-tapping touchdown catch from quarterback Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay's preseason opener:
Not long after Gage went down with his injury Wednesday, Palmer made an emphatic statement by torching Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (last year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year) for a deep touchdown:
While opposing defenses will have their hands full trying to contain Evans and Godwin, the third receiver in Tampa Bay should have plenty of opportunities to make plays. Palmer brings speed that even those two star receivers don't have, which could help make the Bucs' passing game plenty explosive. The fact that Palmer clearly has chemistry and trust building with Mayfield doesn't hurt, either.
He'll still have to maintain consistency if he wants to beat out the other worthy challengers, but Palmer clearly has the talent to take advantage of this opportunity, and mitigate what could otherwise be a huge loss for the Tampa Bay offense.
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