Letting The Bucs Get Emeka Egbuka Was a Huge Mistake

It didn't take long for Egbuka to earn rave reviews throughout minicamps and training camp, and with Chris Godwin still working his way back from last year's season-ending leg injury, the rookie was expected to have a significant role right away. That responsibility expanded even further when Jalen McMillan went down with a scary neck injury in the preseason, leaving Egbuka as the unquestioned WR2 for Tampa Bay's high-powered offense behind future Hall of Famer Mike Evans.

Sunday's regular-season opener on the road against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons was Egbuka's first opportunity to deliver on the high expectations, and did he ever deliver. Egbuka hauled in four passes for a team-high 67 yards, including a pair of touchdown catches that were the difference in a 23-20 victory.

After a sluggish start from the offense, Egbuka capped off an impressive drive with this 28-yard score to give the Bucs their first lead of the game:

Egbuka's second touchdown was even more critical, a 25-yarder that came with just one minute left in the game to put Tampa Bay ahead for good:

Evans was the first draft pick of Licht's tenure as the Bucs' general manager, and it's hard to imagine a better one. His case for Canton is already an easy one after starting his career with an NFL-record 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons, and he currently ranks ninth in league history with 105 career touchdown receptions. Even at 32 years old, he remains one of the most consistent targets in the league, and continues to be a dominant end-zone threat.

While Evans is the most prolific offensive player in Bucs history, leading the franchise record books in every major receiving category, Godwin has become Robin to his Batman. When healthy, Godwin has proven to be one of the most complete and versatile receivers in the league. He was well on his way to a fourth straight 1,000-yard season before the Week 7 injury that knocked him out for the rest of the 2024 season. A third-round steal out of Penn State in 2017, Godwin ranks second behind Evans in every major receiving stat in Bucs history, an absolute coup for Licht and the Tampa Bay front office.

McMillan looked like another third-round bargain for Licht last year, stepping in for the injured Godwin as a rookie and finishing the 2024 campaign with seven touchdown receptions over the final five weeks of the season.

Godwin is expected back in the lineup somewhere around the Week 5 range, while McMillan is likely to be out until at least the Bucs' Week 9 bye. When everyone's healthy, the Bucs have arguably the best top-four receiver group in the entire NFL, and they'll be a dangerous bunch down the stretch with Baker Mayfield able to take advantage of all those different targets.

But in the meantime, don't be surprised if Egbuka continues to put up huge numbers, as opposing defenses remain focused on stopping Evans first with constant bracketed coverage, leaving Egbuka with plenty of 1-on-1 opportunities.

Maybe the rest of the league thought the Bucs weren't a threat to draft Egbuka because they were already loaded with top-end pass-catchers, and they needed so much at every level of the defense. There was no way they were gonna spend that first-round pick on another offensive weapon, right?

The problem is, Licht knows better.

He knows how quickly injuries can turn a strength into a need. He knows there are plenty more rounds in the draft (the Bucs spend all but one of their remaining picks in this year's draft on defensive players). And he knows a star wide receiver when he sees one.

It looks like he has yet another one in Egbuka, which is bad news for an NFC South division that hasn't seen the Bucs dethroned since they won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2020 season, and an entire league that missed out on a complete player who is more than ready to make an immediate impact for a title contender.