The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t have much on offense in terms of proven firepower — what little they do have, they need to cling to.
That will be hard to do if players like 2nd-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka get dinged up before the season even starts.
“Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka limped off with athletic trainers,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo wrote on his official X account on Wednesday. “Was examined on the sideline table for a while. Hard to see exactly what’s up from where we are but he’s still on the table and hasn’t returned.”
The Buccaneers are having a series of joint practices with the Jets ahead of their preseason game on Friday in New Jersey.
“Emeka is off the training table and on the sidelines now with his helmet off,” Bucs reporter Jeff Dubrof wrote on his official X account on Wednesday. “Still walking gingerly with a small limp.”
Emeka Egbuka Praised for Breakout Potential
For the first few months of his rookie season, Egbuka didn’t just look like his team’s best wide receiver. He looked like 1 of the NFL’s best wide receivers.
By the time the season came to a close, you couldn’t find many people singing that tune despite Egbuka leading the Buccaneers with 63 receptions for 938 yards and 6 touchdowns.
They weren’t saying that because the most incredible part about Egbuka’s stat line is that, after the 1st 9 games, he had 40 receptions for 678 yards and 6 touchdowns. That put him on track to not just be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year but also possibly a Pro Bowler.
Not everyone is selling Egbuka’s stock, however.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton is screaming like Bud Fox on the trading room floor to buy, buy, buy on Egbuka’s upside headed into his 2nd season.
“In a strong start to his rookie campaign, Emeka Egbuka eclipsed 100 receiving yards and scored a touchdown in Weeks 4 and 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks,” Moton wrote. “However, after a 115-yard, one-score performance against the New England Patriots in Week 10, Egbuka saw a drop-off in production.
“In the final quarter of the season, he saw fewer targets with fellow wideouts Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan healthy. This year, Egbuka should see an uptick in target share. Tampa Bay lost Evans to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. He averaged nearly eight targets per game last season. Keep in mind that 10th-year wideout Chris Godwin has missed 18 games over the last two years because of injuries … Egbuka is in a position to be a rising star with the opportunities he’ll get in the Buccaneers’ passing attack.”
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