25 of 32

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston entered the 2017 season with one of the best wide receivers in the league at his disposal. By the time that season came to an end, he had one of the league's best skill-position quartets.

That's because his rockstar supporting cast (Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson to begin with) added two new members in tight end O.J. Howard and wide receiver Chris Godwin.

During his final five games as a rookie, Howard caught 70.6 percent of the passes thrown his way while averaging a ridiculous 17.1 yards per attempt. The first-round pick out of Alabama also scored three touchdowns during that stretch before a mid-December ankle injury ended his campaign prematurely.

Meanwhile, Godwin caught 61.5 percent of the passes thrown his way while averaging an even more ridiculous 18.4 yards per catch during the final four weeks of his rookie campaign, with 209 of his 525 receiving yards coming in the final two games of the regular season.

If both of those guys can pick up where they left off in support of Evans (a four-year vet with four 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and the second-highest paid wideout in the NFL) and Jackson (a three-time Pro Bowler a year removed from a 1,000-yard season in Washington), Winston will be in damn good shape in 2018.

Of course, that's no guarantee. Sophomore slumps happen, and the Bucs also need to hope that Evans and Jackson can improve their reception rates (they combined to catch just 54 percent of the passes thrown their way in 2017). The 31-year-old Jackson is also trying to fight off Father Time, and they're holding auditions for a starting running back role.

Early favorite Peyton Barber averaged just 3.9 yards per attempt last year, while challengers Jacquizz Rodgers (only 3.8), Charles Sims (only 3.9 for his career) and Ronald Jones (a rookie second-round pick) aren't blowing anyone away yet.

If one of those backs can emerge, if Jackson can keep rolling, if Evans can remain healthy and if Godwin and Howard can continue on their 2017 trajectory, Winston could have one of the best supporting casts in football in 2018. Plenty of ifs there, though.