Emeka Egbuka Does it Once more, Persevering with Wonderful Rookie Season for Buccaneers

One other week, one other wild, last-minute win for the Buccaneers, who took down the Seahawks, 38-35, on Sunday. Simply as extremely, it was additionally one other big recreation for rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka, who has completed extra in his first 5 NFL video games than every other rookie receiver in NFL historical past.

“He is form of one-of-one,” quarterback Baker Mayfield stated after Sunday’s win at Seattle, which noticed Egbuka go for 163 yards and a landing with seven catches on seven targets.

That he did it so near residence in his native Washington, persevering with to assist the Bucs survive with their finest receivers injured, solely added to the legend.

“Meka had a homecoming at present,” coach Todd Bowles stated. “He continues to amaze and compete and do the issues that everyone has seen him do like he did in school, and once more, he was excellent.”

In 5 video games, Egbuka has 25 catches for 445 yards and 5 touchdowns — main the staff in all three. His receiving yards and landing catches are greater than double that of his closest teammates. Eguka leads all NFL rookies in all three stats as nicely.

The 2025 Bucs are the primary NFL staff ever to win 4 of their 5 video games all by three factors or much less, and Egbuka has been central in all of the comeback wins.

“Time and time once more, it occurs,” Egbuka stated after the sport. “I overlook the saying. It is like, one time is luck, the second time’s a fluke, the third time it’s the true deal. I believe that is the fourth two-minute drive we have had this yr, out of 5 video games. The NFL is right down to the wire loads of the time. I am glad to have a quarterback who has the aptitude, and Baker has that functionality.”

Egbuka, taken nineteenth general out of Ohio State, was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Month for September, and he is off to a robust begin in October, outplaying the league’s rookie quarterbacks and operating backs to change into a legit Offensive Rookie of the Yr front-runner. Listed below are Egbuka’s notable contributions in every of the Buccaneers’ first 5 video games:

Week 1 at Falcons: Egbuka catches two touchdowns, the latter with 59 seconds left for the lead.Week 2 at Texans: Egbuka catches a landing early because the Bucs win with six seconds left.Week 3 vs. Jets: Egbuka has a team-high 85 yards, together with a 28-yarder to assist arrange game-winning kick as time expired.Week 4 vs. Eagles: Egbuka has 101 yards, together with a 77-yard landing because the Bucs tried to rally from a 24-3 deficit.Week 5 at Seahawks: Egbuka goes for 163 yards, together with a 20-yard landing and a 57-yard catch to the two.

The Buccaneers are 4-1 regardless of accidents everywhere in the discipline, together with receiver, the place their prime three from final season have missed a mixed 10 video games. Mike Evans has missed two video games, Chris Godwin missed three and Jalen McMillan has but to play on account of a neck damage. Tampa Bay did not know most of that was forward when it drafted Egbuka — doing so as an alternative of addressing extra evident positional wants — as a result of it beloved him not simply as a participant, however as an individual. Lengthy earlier than he was successful video games for the Bucs, he had drawn constant reward for a mature demeanor {and professional} strategy, not what you count on from a 22-year-old.

Emeka Egbuka was in a position to get by the Eagles’ protection for an extended landing seize within the Buccaneers’ Week 4 loss. (Photograph by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Photographs)

“He is well-rounded and never simply in soccer, in life,” Mayfield stated. “I believe he is grounded, and I believe he is simply real in all the pieces he does. He is intentional. You simply do not see that usually, and particularly as a rookie with the expertise that he has, you actually do not see it usually.”

Egbuka’s prolific begin has put him in elite firm, traditionally. The one different receivers with 20-plus catches, 400-plus yards and 5 touchdowns of their first 5 video games are Ja’Marr Chase (2021), Terry McLaurin (2019) and Randy Moss (1998). He has sufficient yards that he is on tempo to interrupt Puka Nacua’s NFL rookie file of 1,486 yards, and his touchdown-a-game tempo would match Moss’ NFL rookie file of 17 landing catches, albeit with another recreation than Moss.

Egbuka left Ohio State as the college’s profession chief in receptions, and he was surrounded by NFL expertise whereas in Columbus, taking part in with Marvin Harrison, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams and a future NFL star in Jeremiah Smith. He went head-to-head with Smith-Njigba, an in depth good friend, on Sunday and left with the victory.

Former Ohio State stars Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Emeka Egbuka caught up after each confirmed out in Sunday’s Buccaneers-Seahawks recreation. (Photograph by Soobum Im/Getty Photographs)

He has managed to do all this with relative humility, too. He did slow-walk into the tip zone on his landing in opposition to the Eagles whereas the Buccaneers have been trailing by 18 factors, however in any other case, Egbuka has proven a uncommon selflessness in not solely his success however how he is dealt with the highlight.

“I do not enter any seasons of my life with too many expectations in the case of statistics or something,” he stated. “Actually, I am simply making an attempt to honor and glorify God, be obedient to no matter it’s he is known as me to. I really feel like he has me in Tampa for a purpose, and that function is greater than soccer, I imagine. So simply making an attempt to make use of my platform to have the ability to impression folks any approach I can.”

The Bucs performed Sunday with out Evans, main rusher Bucky Irving, McMillan and two beginning offensive linemen, and as they get wholesome, they’re going to be higher geared up to win video games with time left on the clock and keep away from the wild finishes they’ve had up to now. Egbuka has been the sudden star of their 4-1 begin, however it is not shocking to those that know him finest.

“It is the entire package deal,” Bowles stated. “It is his mentality. It is his bodily make-up. It is his willingness to work. It is his intelligence. It is his athleticism. He is simply a type of guys. He has the whole make-up and the whole package deal, and that is onerous to get, and that is onerous to see in a rookie.”

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand spent a decade protecting the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Occasions and The Athletic. You may comply with him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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