Jason Licht On Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin And The Bucs’ Passing Game
May 5th, 2025
National radio spot.
Last week Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht shed more behind his decision to draft Emeka Egbuka at No. 19 and added intel on Chris Godwin’s rehab.
This information came by way of “Schein on Sports” hosted by popular national sports radio and TV personality Adam Schein, heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio.
Schein, of course, wanted background on why he and the Bucs thought Egbuka was the way to go over, say, an inside linebacker in the first round.
“He’s as high of a character player that we have come across in the draft process in recent years,” Licht said. “When he showed up [the morning after he was drafted], and of course, we’ve talked to him in the process at the combine, and scouts have been around him all year, but when he came in with his family, it just, you know, you could just see why he was such a great kid.
“Just a great mom, great dad, great stepdad. But you know, going into the process, through the process,
“You kind of have to forecast a little bit who’s going to be there at 19 or wherever you’re picking. And I like to kind of narrow down to three to five players that we think realistically could be there, and he was at the top of that list.
“And of course, then you get on Thursday morning, I start getting real nervous. ‘Well, shoot, maybe not. He’s not going to be there. But he was. It was an easy selection for us.”
Todd Bowles shocked the football world a month ago when he told assembled #NFLMedia and Joe at the owners meetings that if the right receiver was available at No. 19, he’d have zero issue drafting him because “You win by scoring points.”
Joe still remembers how the ground shook under when Bowles said that. Turns out, Bowles already knew who the Bucs would draft, Licht hinted.
“Todd and I were both in agreement for a long time that [if Egbuka] was there, he would be the pick,” Licht said. “Just a great fit culturally, but also a really good player that can play all three receiver spots for us.”
And no, Licht said, drafting Egbuka is not a clue that Chris Godwin’s return from a dislocated ankle is in doubt.
Licht said that the target date for Godwin’s return is still Week 1. However, he noted Egbuka gives Godwin a cushion to dial back his rehab if needed.
“It just had nothing to do with Chris and us worried about Chris and his rehab,” Licht declared. “This is all about the present and the future, because I think [Egbuka is] a perfect fit into this [receivers] room.”
In the immediate aftermath of the draft, Joe saw advanced wide receiver stats for the Bucs in the four games that both Evans and Godwin missed when the Bucs went 0-4 (Jamel Dean also was out those same four games).
Those advanced receiving stats were terrible and the author (Joe didn’t save it) added, “You want to know why the Bucs drafted Emeka Egbuka? Here it is.”
Licht didn’t deny to Schein the passing game suffered mightily without Evans and Godwin.
“Last year we went through, as you know, Mike and Chris being out, and you know, when they were out, we weren’t winning a lot of football games,” Licht said.
The Bucs also got a pair of corners who at the very least should give the Bucs good depth at the positon. And they got two players who might surprise with their play at outside linebacker and defensive line.
With Evans being 32 and in a contract year, and Godwin a great unknown, despite Licht’s confidence, more and more the selection of Egbuka looks downright savvy.
May 5th, 2025 at 7:14 am
Apologies, Joe fixed the errors in this post.–Joe
May 5th, 2025 at 7:31 am
Bucs might just have drafted the best receiver in the draft, Egbuka, and the best corner in the draft, Morrison.
May 5th, 2025 at 7:56 am
The putrid pass Defense needs to improve. If we can get a rush with the four guys that’s our ticket to fame. It’s all about timely sacks from the pass rush and getting off the field on third down. go Bucs
May 5th, 2025 at 8:04 am
I still would prefer LB3 …. an explosive element that none of the other wide receivers projected to start have and I don’t consider Tez as a starter… ever!
May 5th, 2025 at 8:16 am
Egbuka is currently ranked #8 for OROY.
May 5th, 2025 at 8:30 am
Apologies, Joe fixed the errors in this post.–Joe
May 5th, 2025 at 8:30 am
Apologies, Joe fixed the errors in this post.–Joe
May 5th, 2025 at 8:38 am
Still think the Bucs need to sign another Vet LB and trade for Jalen Ramsey.
May 5th, 2025 at 8:53 am
There are always juicy veterans cut between now and preseason and during the final cut down when teams have to get to 53 , players that teams could not trade or were forced off rosters due to the cold calculating nature of the business side of the NFL.
Tampa is in great shape for top talent long in the tooth and still able to play the game at a high level
May 5th, 2025 at 9:05 am
Draft picks are a gamble. It’s always fun to see how they turn out. Licht has a pretty good score here plus his UDFAs. Speaking of Defense and UDFAs, I’m pulling for that young monster DLineman from UF.
May 5th, 2025 at 9:10 am
Licht: “a really good player that can play all three receiver spots for us”.
I had been wondering where EE would get most of his snaps, as he played mostly slot at OSU. I’m very happy that he has the versatility to play all three. I bet Grizz is drawing up some different looks adding EE into the lineup.
May 5th, 2025 at 9:26 am
How are his hamstrings? We sure get a pile of sore hammies.
May 5th, 2025 at 9:32 am
Statistically – almost half of all 1st round draft picks don’t work out for the team that drafts them….
This is even more applicable to players drafted in the back half of the 1st round…
If there’s a guy you love – a player with impeccable character that you had rated in your top 10 players sitting there at 19 – that’s basically a no brainer…
BPA is always the best way to go in round 1 of the NFL draft.
Remember when Dominic was desperate to fill a need at safety – and chose Mark Barron over Luke Kuechly? Because he already had Mason Foster at MLB… Perfect example of what NOT to do….
May 5th, 2025 at 12:27 pm
Funny how some fans assume the pass rusher we could have drafted at #19 – was going to be our pass rusher #3 or higher. (without question / no bust potential)
GO Bucs!!!
May 5th, 2025 at 12:41 pm
In the game Evans and Godwin were out, Mayfield was in more danger of getting beat up if memory serves. So an insurance receiver also protects your QB some.
May 5th, 2025 at 2:29 pm
Never ceases to amaze me how 1 sentence can be turned into so many articles or such a big deal in the eyes of JBF readers.
May 5th, 2025 at 2:34 pm
Maybe because words matter?
May 5th, 2025 at 3:12 pm
Pickgrin
As usual you bring common sense to this place! Your post on the next thread is also spot on.
May 5th, 2025 at 3:30 pm
I hope we draft another WR in the 1at round next year too!
We don’t need an offensive linemen next year.
We wont need a TE next year either. Safety neither.
Next years NEEDS
1. ILB
That’s it! TE, Safety, RB, OL, DL, QB: set
That’s crazy!
That means we don’t technically have ANY “needs” again next year!
So?
We can “draft for the dynasty” as I call it.
Next year?
Round 1: WR
Round 2: NT/DT
Round 3: ILB
Round 4: CB
I want “dynastic depth”
A team where rookies are rarely if ever forced to start their first year.
May 5th, 2025 at 5:09 pm
Round 2 Morrison was bold and well reasoned – that is the way championship teams are built.
Round 3 Parrish was duh!
Round 4 Walker was again bold and well reasoned.
Round 5 Roberts was well reasoned, and I will call it bold if fifth round picks can be called bold. It certainly was dead on the target.
Round 7 Johnson was a steal if he doesn’t break, and way too good to pass up.
The UDFA signings have UDFA floors, but some of the ceilings may have been stolen from Renaissance monuments in Rome.
All of that is laudable, but it just makes the Egbuka process so damnable if the reports of trade offers from the Texans are true.
In 2024, the Bucs started 4-2. Then, Evans and Godwin were both hurt in the Ravens game and the Bucs lost four games in a row to find themselves at 4-6.
The coaches of 4-6 teams often get fired. GMs of 4-6 teams get fired if their finger pointing is unconvincing. Licht and Bowles both seem to have developed a real case of WR deficiency trauma disorder. But, their trauma obscured an important point. As great as Godwin’s production was before he got hurt, with Godwin lost for the season, the Bucs still went 6-1 once Evans came back. And, they only lost in the playoffs by three points. Despite the fact that the defense was getting by on duct tape, special teams players and trainers little helpers, the return of Evans was enough to get the Bucs into the playoffs and to play a close game against Washington.
But, the takeaway of Licht and Bowles seems to have been that they need their next Chris Godwin, they need him now, and his name is Egbuka. So, bury that #19 coin, close your eyes, ears and mind, and wait to spend that coin on one guy, and one guy only – Egbuka.
Egbuka is a fine player. But, 2024 demonstrated that the critical element is Evans, not Godwin. And, Evans is only under contract for one more season; Godwin is under contract for three. Preparing for the eventual departure of both should be in progress. But, Evans is the more immediate and more important of the two even though they are both special.
Besides Egbuka, I noted four other WRs were worthy of consideration – two with the potential to be Evans-ish, and two with the potential to be Godwin-esque.
The Evans-ish pair are Jayden Higgins, taken 34 overall, and Savion Williams, taken 87 overall. The Godwin-esque pair are Luther Burden, taken 39 overall, and Jaylin Noel, taken 79 overall. Arguably, Egbuka is as good or better than any of them. But, they were not all that was on the table.
There are reports that the Texans at 25 offered to trade with the Bucs at 19 so that the Texans could take Egbuka. I have not heard what the Texans offered, but the trade value charts suggest that it should have been picks 25, 89, and 236 using the Rick Hill chart, and 25, 89, 216, using the Jimmy Johnson chart plus maybe 236, 241, and 255. Or, maybe a pick from 2026 would be in the mix. At a minimum, the Bucs should have been able to get 25, 89, and 236 with many quality WRs still available, not just the ones I pointed out as possible fits. The Bucs could have “settled” for Higgins or Burden at 25 and still been ahead at least a third round and seventh round pick! An ILB or Safety, maybe? DL or Edge? TE? Is Egbuka as good as Higgins or Burden plus a third round pick and a seventh round pick?
But, the opportunities did not end there. After the Bucs took Egbuka, the Texans stopped trying to trade up and instead traded down sending pick 25 to the Giants for picks 34 and 99 plus the Giants 1st round pick in 2026.
Had the Bucs made the trade with the Texans, the Bucs could have sent pick 25 to the Giants and gained picks 34 and 99 plus the Giants 2026 1st round pick.
Is Egbuka worth more than Higgins or Burden at pick 34 plus the third round pick from Houston, the two sixth round picks from Houston, the third round pick from the Giant’s this year plus the Giants 2026 first round pick. Las Vegas odds makers project that pick to be pick number 5, give or take. And, the odds are very good that it will at least be a top 10 pick? Hopefully, a trade like this is the only way the Bucs see a top 5 or top 10 pick for a long time to come.
As great as Licht and Bowles and their people are at finding talent for value, they seem to have fixated on Egbuka to the detriment of the organization.
Pick 34 would have gotten the Bucs Evans-ish WR Higgins or the Godwin-esque WR Burden instead of Egbuka while netting the Bucs third round picks 89 and 99, seventh round pick 236 and the Giants 2026 1st round pick.
Those two third round picks could have scored a Safety and an ILB, or maybe a DT and an Edge rusher, or maybe a TE and another WR. Opportunity knocked, but 2024 WR deficit trauma prevented anyone from answering the door.
May 5th, 2025 at 8:22 pm
I thought it was weird when Jason was like its nice to finally meet you???
Man If I was drafting a guy one????? dude would be sick of talking to me and my team.
May 5th, 2025 at 11:57 pm
As usual GatorBeGone shows his total grasp of reality by dumping on JBF.
May 6th, 2025 at 12:02 am
And here we have another expert writing 7685 words that no one will or even should read. Jason knows what he is doing. The fantasy keyboard jockies can make themselves all warm and important feeling by prolific tapping away.
Jason does.
Wish-I-Weres type 8000 word manifestos.
May 6th, 2025 at 5:48 am
Good stuff Joe!
Emeka and his family…That is a dead giveaway…No knucklehead here! Love it!
Ask Baker if mom scolded him at all during lunch. LOL
Go Bucs!
May 8th, 2025 at 11:11 am
It’s time for Baker Mayfield to put up or shut up in big moments of big games. He’s going to have to will us to wins in the playoffs when needed like against the lions and Washington. He has no more excuses and don’t want to hear anything about the defense or less we are ranked 30 to 32 in scoring defense because that’s the only stat that really matters when it comes to defense. The Patriots won every Superbowl being a top 10 scoring defense and that means how many points do your defense gives up. In 2023 we were ranked 7th in scoring defense and Baker Mayfield still couldn’t capitalize on that. So now he has a good running game, o line and good receivers and he’s not asked to throw 45 to 50 times a game he has no more excuses. NFC Championship or bust!!