Buccaneers wideout Emeka Egbuka earned rightful acclaim Thursday for his electric career start, as he received NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for September.
The first Buccaneer receiver to ever win the
award and first player since Jameis Winston in 2015, Egbuka currently leads all rookies in receiving yards (282) and touchdowns (4), the latter of which is actually tied for third in the entire league as of Thursday evening. His 18 receptions are second overall among rookies (just one behind Colts TE Tyler Warren’s 19). Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Egbuka leads NFL rookies and is second among all pass-catchers in passer rating when targeted, at 128.0; only Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown is rated more highly.
The 19th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Egbuka has been tasked with a daunting assignment from the get-go given injuries to premier targets Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. While Godwin is working his way back from major leg surgery, Evans is still nursing a sore hamstring, so Egbuka has effectively been WR1 for the last two-plus weeks.
He hasn’t backed down from the challenge.
Against the Eagles’ top-tier secondary, Egbuka still managed 4 catches for 101 yards, including a massive 77-yard touchdown that required tremendous concentration between two defenders. Egbuka also caught the eventual game-winning touchdown in Week 1 against the Falcons, as well as a critical score against the Texans. The Bucs very possibly may not be 3-1 without the talented Ohio State product.
Egbuka should continue de facto WR1 duties this week in a huge road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, which kicks off at 4:o5 p.m. Sunday.
