Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka: Quiet finish to rookie season

Egbuka brought in one of three targets for eight yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday. He finished the 2025 regular season with 63 receptions for 938 yards and six touchdowns on 127 targets and two rushes for nine yards over 17 games.

Egbuka was thrust into a significant role from Day 1 of his rookie season, as the Buccaneers began the campaign without Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan due to ankle and neck injuries, respectively. The Ohio State product looked like an instant star after posting a 25-445-5 line on 38 targets over his first five career games, but Egbuka topped 64 receiving yards just once in the remaining 12 contests despite Mike Evans and Godwin missing significant time, and McMillan not making his season debut until Week 15. Nevertheless, there isn't any doubt about Egbuka's talent after he still nearly eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in his first season, and he could be set for a similar elevated target share in 2026 if Godwin isn't retained this offseason.