Mike Evans' status for his Week 1 debut with Tom Brady and the new-look Buccaneers is in doubt.
Coach Bruce Arians told reporters Wednesday Evans has what Arians called a "soft tissue" injury, which has caused Evans to miss practice. Arians said Evans will be day to day, adding "we'll see how it goes."
Evans didn't participate in Wednesday's practice with a hamstring injury, per the team injury report.
Evans has been as reliably productive as he's been available through the majority of his NFL career, appearing in 13 or more games in each of his six professional seasons and finishing with 1,000 or more yards per campaign. He's made three Pro Bowl trips in his career and is undoubtedly Tampa Bay's No. 1 receiver.
Missing Evans in Week 1 wouldn't be the end of the world for the Brady-led Bucs, who have plenty of talent to fill in the gaps. But it's never ideal for any team to take the field without its top receiving target -- especially when facing an offense engineered by Drew Brees.
We'll keep an eye on injury reports as Tampa Bay's Week 1 showdown with New Orleans creeps closer.
