Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has worked with rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka thus far, and the veteran coach already has one thing clear in his mind about the young star.
Egbuka leads the team in receiving through three games with 14 receptions for 181 yards and three touchdowns. He had a game-winning touchdown catch from Week 1, and he contributed on the team’s game-winning drive on Sunday.
“Right now, we don’t even consider him a rookie,” Bowles told reporters on Monday. “He’s been doing it so much in practice, and [with] the details of his work, that we had kind of expected it from him here in the building. I think outside, everybody’s seeing it for the first time. It’s a little early for Rookie-of-the-Year type of things [but] if he can do that for 16 or 17 weeks, we’ll be happy.”
Egbuka had a career-high 85 yards on eight catches against the New York Jets in Sunday’s 29-27 victory. The former Ohio State star had his second 30-yard reception of the season, and only two passes to him were incomplete, one of which Bowles was questioned on since the call was arguable.
“There are going to be some calls that go our way, some calls that don’t go our way. I thought he caught it,” Bowles said.
Emeka Egbuka Living Up to Draft Hopes
Tampa Bay selected Egbuka with the No. 19 pick in the 2025 since the team needed receiver depth amid Mike Evans’ aging and Chris Godwin dealing with injuries. Egbuka has simply picked up where he left off at Ohio State, where he helped the Buckeyes win the national title during the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff.
He earned All-Big Ten honors in three of his four seasons, tallying 205 receptions for 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns in 60 career games. Egbuka had two 1,000-yard and 10-touchdown seasons with the Buckeyes, and his quicky learning of the NFL game has Buccaneers teammates impressed.
“He is doing a great job, man,” Buccaneers linebacker Yaya Diaby told reporters on Monday. “That one-handed catch [against the Jets], I was just like, ‘Whoa, [there is] no way he just caught that.’ He is just coming along really [well].”
“I see him and Baker [Mayfield] getting along really [well] and I am just excited for where he is going to go as the season keeps going along,” Diaby added.
Emeka Egbuka’s Growth More Critical Without Mike Evans
Egbuka’s role will only grow with Evans sidelined due to a hamstring injury and Godwin not back full health. Bowles said on Monday that Evans’ injury is deemed low grade, but the longtime Buccaneers star didn’t have an MRI yet as it was scheduled for Tuesday. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported that Evans will likely miss multiple games.
Evans caught a touchdown pass for the Buccaneers against the Jets as he finished with four receptions for 33 yards before he exited in the second half due to the injury. He halted on a route and hobbled off the field afterward during the game.
“I don’t know if you can replace him. Other guys can do other things, and we’ll try to tailor it toward those things, but you can’t replace a Mike Evans,” Bowles said.
Egbuka will do what he can to alleviate that void in the interim.