Buccaneers' Wide Receiver Named One of NFL's Most Intriguing Players of the Week

Mandatory Minicamps are a primer for what's to come, and as players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers break from the week, the next major event on the calendar is Training Camp. Where every NFL team seeks to turn aspiration into production.

And that's where new and emerging players get a chance to make the most impactful impression of all.

If a player is going to climb a depth chart, it'll happen there. But the opportunities coming this time of year help lay the groundwork for a successful training camp for rookies new to the league and veterans new to their team.

Bucs wide receiver Russell Gage has been busy taking advantage of his early opportunities to impress his new team, and his new quarterback, Tom Brady.

"In the time I’ve spent with him, I really enjoy it and I think he has a great opportunity," Brady said of his new receiver following Tampa Bay's minicamp this week. "That is a very important role for an offense that throws the ball as much as we do.”

While Gage's stock on a national stage has been hurt by the Atlanta Falcons' inability to field a consistently winning team in recent years, his production stands out among his former Falcons teammates.

That production was seen firsthand by Buccaneers coaches facing Gage twice per year, and is a big reason he was brought in to be what we expect is the team's third receiver.

But he'll have an opportunity to play even more valuable snaps than that, as Chris Godwin continues his recovery from a torn ACL.

"Godwin should be playing again at some point this regular season, but there also hasn’t been any hard timetable put on his return," NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha wrote recently when listing the most intriguing players from this week's minicamps around the league. "That means Gage -- who had 138 receptions over his final two seasons with the Falcons -- will see plenty of targets along with fellow wideout Mike Evans. Brady clearly has set his expectations high for the young receiver. The future Hall of Fame quarterback wouldn’t do that if he didn’t think Gage could deliver."

Gage's opportunity to perform while Godwin continues to heal is a big one.

But the experience he'll gain by stepping into a primary role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could prove to be invaluable when Godwin returns, and the team has a No. 3 receiver with substantially more experience and rapport with his legendary quarterback than most.

For more on this and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers check out James Yarcho and David Harrison on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!

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