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BY IRA KAUFMAN
Fast start, slow fade.
Buc fans have to be quite pleased with the overall rookie season turned in by Emeka Egbuka, who led Tampa Bay receivers in every key metric last season. Jason Licht couldn’t have asked for much more from the 19th overall pick, who developed an instant rapport with Baker Mayfield in training camp.
Although Egbuka finished just shy of 1,000 yards, his rookie year was wildly inconsistent. He grabbed the early lead for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors with a glorious September, but Egbuka’s numbers began a steady drop as autumn leaves began to fall.
He averaged five catches and 89 receiving yards through five games, opening with a flourish by catching the winning TD with only 59 seconds remaining in the season opener at Atlanta.
The numbers kept piling up for this smooth route runner out of Ohio State, where Egbuka set career receiving records for a program known as a wideout factory for the pros.
But just as everyone was raving about Egbuka’s skill set, his production cratered. A hamstring injury didn’t help, but he still managed to be on the field for 78 percent of Tampa Bay’s offensive snaps.
As the Bucs stumbled to a 4-8 finish, Egbuka’s average plunged to 3.2 catches and 41 receiving yards per game. Only once in those final 12 games did Egbuka manage more than 64 receiving yards and he reached the end zone just once after posting five TD catches in the first five weeks.
Despite a prolonged slump, Egbuka’s target numbers remained steady. Mayfield never lost faith, but Egbuka’s soft hands betrayed him in the final three months and he finished with nine drops — the fifth-highest total in the league.
In a critical 24-20 home loss to New Orleans, a wide-open Egbuka failed to haul in Mayfield’s potential game-tying TD pass in the fourth quarter.
“I’m on this team for one reason,” Egbuka said after the setback. “That’s to catch the ball. I didn’t.”
The Bucs are counting on Egbuka to shrug off his struggles and recapture the form that had opposing coaches raving about his poise and talent. Perhaps Egbuka set the bar too high with that record-setting start.
Panthers rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan saw Egbuka up close twice in 2025 as the Bucs and Panthers split their series.
“I’m a big fan of the player that he’s become and the person that he is,” McMillan said of Egbuka. “He deserves everything that has come his way. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for him.”
So are the Bucs, who expect another big season from a 23-year-old uber talent yearning for another September Song.
