The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a gem at receiver for the future. The Bucs drafted receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Egbuka recently won a national championship with the Buckeyes and goes from one Bucs team to another.
No rookie has started the 2025 season better than he has. Egbuka has scored three times in two games and has been one of Baker Mayfield's top options. So far in two games, the rookie has eight catches, 96 yards, three TDs, and a 12.0 yards per catch average. In the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, he caught two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 59 seconds left in the game.
After another come-from-behind win on Monday night, Egbuka showed up on the injury report and did not practice on Wednesday.
“Jarring to see that Emeka Egbuka did not practice due to a hip/groin injury. Cody Mauch (knee), SirVocea Dennis (ankle) and Haason Reddick (shoulder) also limited. QB Baker Mayfield has a foot/toe injury but practiced.”
Egbuka is dealing with a hip/groin injury and joined three others who did not practice. Nine total players, including Baker Mayfield, showed up on the injury report. That is not a good sign early in the season, but the good news is that Baker was a full participant. There were a ton of memes about the game against the Texans when Baker appeared hurt, but then got up and talked smack to CJ Cardner-Johnson.
The Bucanners still have plenty of depth at the position. Mike Evans is playing well but has not scored yet. That is not a big deal to him; he has 10 catches for 107 yards in two games. The issue is the 19 targets. The Bakers-Evans connection must see an increase in accuracy. Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan are expected to return soon.
