One awkward moment at Buccaneers practice has suddenly put Emeka Egbuka’s health under the spotlight. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ wide receiver was seen leaving the field after a joint practice session with the New York Jets, with a limp. A doctor and injury expert raised a concern that could have implications beyond Wednesday’s practice.

“Oh no. Emeka Egbuka took an end around and got rolled up. Tried getting up off the ground, went back down for a second, and is now up and walking gingerly with the trainers. We’ll keep you updated,” journalist Jeff Dubrof wrote on X.

The way Egbuka limped off from the training camp practice on Wednesday has raised concerns around his availability for the season. That is when doctor and injury expert Jeff Mueller dropped his assessment on the situation.

“Emeka Egbuka injury mechanism insight. Hopefully not high ankle or knee ligament involved, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon. Apparently he was limping a good amount but that’s not always indicative of severity,” Mueller wrote on X.

“Happened on an end-around. Majority of times these wind up being high ankle injuries to WRs, but need to see video. We’re on Emeka Egbuka HAS watch now: risk of negative impact into 1st quarter of 2026 since we’re ~4 weeks away from Wk1. Really hope it’s not that.”

According to the reports, Egbuka took an end-around handoff and was accidentally “rolled up on” by a teammate after making a play. Following that, he stayed down briefly, then got up and limped off the field under his own power to be evaluated on the trainer’s table.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets held a highly competitive, two-day joint training camp at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, New Jersey, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026 and Wednesday, August 12, 2026. But a camp that was supposed to provide a game-like environment raised concerns around the Buccaneers’ WR room.

“Emeka is off the training table and on the sidelines now with his helmet off. Still walking gingerly with a small limp,” Dubrof wrote on X.

Emeka Egbuka joined Tampa Bay in the 2025 season as their first-round pick. With that, a lot of expectations were already tagged around the 23-year-old wide receiver.

As the third-string playmaker, Egbuka started only 13 games but made appearances in all 17 regular-season games. While other receivers struggled with injuries, Egbuka gradually became QB Baker Mayfield‘s No. 1 target. By the end of the season, he racked up 63 receptions for 938 yards while posting six touchdowns.

Based on the reports, Doctor Mueller raised an alarm on a potential ankle injury to the Buccaneers WR. However, there was also a positive development following the incident. As such, Egbuka wasn’t taken back to the locker room or training facility for emergency testing, defusing concerns of a serious injury.

However, the official reports or updates have yet to be addressed by anyone from the franchise. What is a reason for concern is that this is not the only injury Egbuka has suffered in his football career.

Egbuka’s injury history

Back in the days when Emeka Egbuka represented the Ohio State Buckeyes in his collegiate career, he suffered an ankle sprain. This incident occurred in October 2023 during a game against Maryland, when a defender rolled into Egbuka’s left leg, causing the injury. Ultimately, the injury required surgery.

Though Egbuka returned in November, he visibly lacked his elite, pre-injury burst for the remainder of the collegiate season. Then again, when he entered the NFL last year, the 23-year-old WR suffered a grade 1 hamstring strain during a Week 6 game against the San Francisco 49ers after a regular game time stretch.

And this offseason, a similar trend followed. Just a few days back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles noted Egbuka “tweaked something” early in training camp and was still dealing with soreness.

The latest leg scare stands as another addition to this list of complications that hindered Egbuka’s time on the ground.