JACKSONVILLE – Just as they did a year ago, the Buccaneers are planning to start the season with five wide receivers on their roster, which means there’s really only one receiver spot up for grabs.

The likelihood, after all, is that Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Adam Humphries and rookie Chris Godwin will each earn a spot, so that leaves a handful of wideouts battling for one spot.

It’s way too soon to know who the leader in that battle might be but one way to judge and the best way to determine who will wind up winning the battle and capturing that last spot is to watch special teams.

Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said on Saturday that the fourth and fifth receivers have to add something on special teams and the fact that Humphries and Godwin are special teams regulars won’t change that.

“Your fourth and fifth receiver have to be special teams players,’’ Koetter said. “There’s just no way around it. I mean, Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson aren’t going to be playing special teams.

“Adam Humphries will be in the return game and Chris Godwin can play across the board in special teams, but your fourth and fifth receives, you need them (to play special teams). They’ve got to play (special teams).’’

Given those parameters, it would seem that as of right now at least the battle for that last receiver spot is a battle between Josh Huff and Bernard Reedy and that the battle may be too close to call.

Huff and Reedy both have the potential to be impact special teams players, particular in the return game, where both displayed that impact ability in the Bucs preseason opener on Friday night.

Huff, who often struggled just to secure the ball after he was signed off the street last year, had a 37-yard kick return while Reedy had a 22-yard punt return.

As you might expect, those two plays stood out to Koetter.

“Yeah, we had two ‘explosives’ in the return game which doesn’t happen every day,’’ Koetter said. “That’s nice to see (from) both those guys. They did something with the ball in their hands.

“And that No. 5 spot at wide receiver right now – (every) day, it’s a different guy (standing out), so that’s some really good competition we’ve got going on there.’’

Donteea Dye, Freddy Martino and CFL refugee Derel Walker are also competing for that fifth receiver spot but Dye has to get healthy again to get back in the race and Martino has to become more consistent.

Martino, who had some big plays during the regular season a year ago, dropped three passes in Friday’s game and doesn’t bring the same juice to special teams that Huff and Reedy can.

Walker’s problem, believe it or not, may be his age and experience. Word is Koetter would like his fifth receiver to be a developmental player and while he’s only 26, Walker is the oldest of the bunch.