If Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has passed anything down to his players, it seems to be the proclivity to place blame on everyone else but themselves.
That’s what it seemed like when wide receiver and 1st round pick Emeka Egbuka seemed to shift the blame for his late-season struggles — and his team’s — on fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard during an appearance on the “Up and Adams Show” with Kay Adams on Friday.
The Buccaneers started the season 5-1 before stumbling to an 8-9 finish and missing the playoffs for the 1st time since 2019.
“We fell into a little bit of a lull as an entire offense,” Egbuka said. “We got a new offensive coordinator, so we’re ready to put all those pieces together.”
Egbuka Disappeared Down Stretch for Buccaneers
Egbuka, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, led the Buccaneers with 63 receptions for 938 yards and 6 touchdowns as a rookie.
No one was more emblematic of the Buccaneers’ struggles down the stretch than Egbuka. Through the 1st 9 games of the season, he had 40 receptions for 677 yards and 6 touchdowns and was the odds-on favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
In the final 8 games of the regular season, Egbuka had 23 receptions for 261 yards and no touchdowns, including 3 games with 20 or fewer receiving yards.
Egbuka had his worst game of the year in the regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers — 1 reception for 8 yards. To add insult to injury, fellow rookie and Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with 70 receptions for 1,017 yards and 7 touchdowns.
“After Week 11, Emeka Egbuka was the -120 betting favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year,” Covers wrote on its official X account January 13. “After voting, he won’t even be a finalist for the award.”
Blaming Offensive Coordinator Seems Weak
The 1 thing Egbuka or anyone else on the Buccaneers shouldn’t be doing is blaming Grizzard for the offense falling apart in the 2nd half of the season.
That’s not to say Grizzard is without blame, but there’s also something to be said here about kicking a man while he’s down. Through the 1st 6 weeks of the season, Grizzard seemed like a lock to become the 3rd consecutive Buccaneers offensive coordinator to land a head coaching job following Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers) in 2023 and Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars) in 2024.
Instead, Grizzard ended up being the fall guy for a lost season and found his professional life in ruins, so to speak. He’s now the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.
“A significant change for Bucs coach Todd Bowles: He’s firing OC Josh Grizzard, per The Insiders,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on January 8. “There could be other staff changes. But Baker Mayfield will have a new play-caller.”
Now, for the 5th year in a row, the Buccaneers will have a new offensive coordinator following Byron Leftwich (fired), Canales, Coen, and Grizzard.
“Staying in the NFC South: Buccaneers are finalizing a deal to hire Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson as their offensive coordinator, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on January 22.
Robinson was part of the Falcons’ coaching staff purge when they fired head coach Raheem Morris on January 4.
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