The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not getting the second-year leap that they expected from wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. To make matters worse, the two receivers taken directly after him have made major second-year leaps, Nick Geddis of Pewter Report points out.
The two receivers directly after Egbuka were Matthew Golden, who also went in Round 1, and Luther Burden, who went early in Round 2.
“Thirty-one catches on 54 targets for 278 yards isn’t going to suffice from your supposed WR1,” wrote Geddis. “When you combine that with what Matthew Golden and Luther Burden III are doing in Green Bay and Chicago, respectively, the next two receivers taken after Egbuka in last year’s draft, you start to see why Egbuka still has much to prove.”
Golden has 53 catches for 783 yards this year. Burden has 49 catches for 644 yards. That is more than twice the production of Egbuka.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Need More From Emeka Egbuka
Through the first half of these players’ rookie seasons, the Bucs looked like geniuses for taking Egbuka over Golden and Burden. Egbuka had 34 catches for 532 yards in the first eight games of his NFL career.
Golden had 262 yards, and Burden had 171. Then, things started to shift. Baker Mayfield got hurt, and so did Egbuka, to close out the year. Meanwhile, Burden and Golden had big games in the playoffs.
This year, those two entered better situations.
The Bears lost D.J. Moore, and Caleb Williams took a step forward. With Burden being in his second season, Ben Johnson is giving him more work, and he is taking advantage. With the Packers, they lost Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs in the offseason. Then, Jayden Reed got hurt. With the Packers also failing to have a run game, the target share for Golden has been extreme.
It has not been that way for Egbuka.
Egbuka Has Not Been Healthy
The issue for the Bucs is that Egbuka and Mayfield have not been healthy at the same time since the first half of 2025. Egbuka had a toe injury in the offseason that lingered into Week 1. The Bucs started slowly after he missed most of training camp.
Then, Mayfield got hurt in Week 3. Mayfield returned in Week 6, and Egbuka left with a concussion and a foot injury. Week 9 was the first time the two saw the field together since Week 3, when Egbuka was just getting over his toe issue.
The thought is that Mayfield and Egbuka went into the bye week healthier than either has been at the same time. Now, they can come out of the bye week and show what they had in the first half of the season.
Egbuka will look to get his season back on track in Week 11. The Bucs face the Detroit Lions, who have an improving defense but a beatable group.
Buccaneers Face Harsh Reality With Former 1st-Round Pick