The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started the season with two of their strongest arms: Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan. In Week 3, Mike Evans went down with a hamstring injury and wouldn’t return until next season. But the team isn’t doomed yet. As the wide receiver they acquired in the first round of 2025, which many labelled a ‘luxury pick’, is showing promise already.

Emeka Egbuka’s moment to shine was against the NY Jets. During the Bucs’ final drive, the rookie connected with Baker Mayfield for a perfect sideline grab. However, it was dismissed as an incomplete pass. This led to the controversy of the day, ‘cause there was no review for the decision. 

Head coach Todd Bowles even called a timeout, but the decision stayed rigid. It wasn’t until quarterback Mayfield’s appearance on the ‘RearView’ podcast by FOX NFL. “He did catch that second ball on the sideline. It’s a catch,” he declared before adding how the NFL referee admitted the wrongdoing, “Even the head ref on the field said that ‘it was a catch’ but I guess New York has to call in to change it.”

He further noted, “They were showing an angle on the stadium that apparently New York didn’t have.”

That’s something Mayfield didn’t understand properly: if a camera angle exists in the stadium, those responsible for replay review should have access to it as well. Nonetheless, the decision didn’t actually affect the Bucs, who sealed the victory at 29-27 with a game-winning field goal. If Week 3 proved anything, the Bucs lucked out with Egbuka. 

Before the fourth-quarter catch, the rookie wideout stole the spotlight with a one-handed catch in a tight coverage over Sauce Gardner. “He’s disrespecting my passes downfield with one hand. Rookies,” jokingly said the two-time Pro Bowler QB while picking Egbuka’s one-handed catch better than a fourth-quarter reception. Of course, he was impressed by both the crucial and memorable catches. “That kid’s a stud. He caught it in a critical moment,” he said about the latter one. 

Egbuka finished the day with six receptions for 85 yards in his corner. With Evans gone and the return timeline for Godwin blurred, the Bucs needed a playmaker like Egbuka. That’s the reason they are one of the six undefeated teams. 

Rookie Emeka Egbuka is stepping up

Egbuka was drafted to be in the long game. But he was “able to play all three receiver spots, which as a rookie to do in an offense like this is not an easy thing to do,” Mayfield admitted. He has become the team’s biggest downfield threat. He’s caught four of six deep balls thrown his way for over 100 yards and a couple of touchdowns. His chemistry with Mayfield works wonders when it comes to those deep posts, like the game-winning catch against Atlanta in Week 1. And the biggest reason why the rookie is proving to be worth every penny is that he never had the rookie mentality. 

“Since Day 1, just talking to him, you can tell he’s just extremely cerebral,” said his quarterback, Mayfield, about him. “He’s just so smart. Football IQ through the roof, just understands what we’re trying to get done.” That’s precisely something that impresses the signal-caller the most. 

Egbuka isn’t just good at running straight down the field; he also knows how to win one-on-one matchups on fade routes, even against top corners. The Bucs have been quite creative in involving Egbuka beyond just stretching defenses vertically. Similar to their strategy with Godwin, they have been using the rookie in designed plays and short-yardage situations.

Nearly two-thirds of Egbuka’s targets have been within ten yards of the line of scrimmage. That said, Egbuka hasn’t yet made a noticeable impact in the intermediate part of the field. The Bucs could use more production moving forward to compensate for Evans’ absence.