Opening Day Expectations For Emeka Ebuka
September 2nd, 2025
The Bucs have placed prominent rookie receivers in huge Week 1 roles. How has it gone?
It’s hard to say.
Mike Evans was a 2014 rookie playing opposite stud veteran receiver Vincent Jackson, much like current Emeka Egbuka will be Sunday in Atlanta.
Evans’ opening day saw him get 9 targets and 5 catches for 37 yards. But how can anyone consider that fairly knowing the Bucs didn’t have an offensive coordinator through the 2014 season? Ill-suited Marcus Arroyo was calling plays after being rushed into the job after offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford bailed on the team with a heart problem.
However, Joe has to give Arroyo some credit. His Bucs offense averaged only one point less per game than the Tom Brady-Byron Leftwich led crew in 2022. (Ponder that for a minute.)
In 2010, the late mattress-in-the-yard Mike Williams was named the Bucs’ No. 1 receiver before training camp. He was impressive. The fourth-round pick looked like the second-best receiver in that draft during NFL Scouting Combine drills and it carried over quickly to the playing field.
Williams caught 65 balls for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie. It was stunning, especially considering he was the Bucs’ top-dog receiver dealing with double-teams. But Williams was rather quiet in his debut. Like Evans, he got 9 targets and caught 5 balls, good for only 30 yards. But he did score a touchdown.
Chris Godwin’s rookie debut? He wasn’t starting and had 2 targets and 0 catches.
Jalen McMillan opened his career with a bang last season with a 32-yard touchdown pass, but it was his only catch of the day on 3 targets.
Retired receiver Michael Clayton may be the best opening-day comparison for Egbuka. In 2004, the Bucs drafted Clayton at No. 15 overall.
Like Ebuka, Clayton debuted with a veteran quarterback (Brad Johnson) and talented veteran receivers around him: Joey Galloway and Tim Brown. Clayton was busy in his debut with 7 catches for 53 yards on 11 targets. The Bucs lost 16-10 at Washington.
For those wondering, the NFL debuts of top Bucs receiver draft picks Jaquez Green (1998) Reidel Anthony (1997) and Arrelious Benn (2010) combined for less than 35 yards receiving.
Joe is crazy high on Egbuka. What a talent, and he’s exceptionally smooth and strong. But Joe hopes Bucs fans give Egbuka a couple of games to get used to the NFL.
Flash poll posted at 10:09 a.m. Poll closed at 12:01 p.m. The last Todd Bowles Confidence Poll was in mid-January.
September 2nd, 2025 at 11:42 am
Man I forgot all about old Skillet hands Michael Clayton 😂
September 2nd, 2025 at 11:54 am
Will Egbuka be in the slot, or on the outside
I’m trying to figure out the matchups
If he’s in the slot, he’s going against a fellow rookie
If he’s outside, he’s going against a veteran
September 2nd, 2025 at 11:59 am
Mike Williams was terrific his rookie season. To bad he didnt love football.
September 2nd, 2025 at 12:00 pm
6 rec 78 yards 1 td
September 2nd, 2025 at 12:01 pm
He’ll probably play inside, and out. I’d bet Evans also will move all over too. Egbuka will have 100 plus yards, and at least one TD. He has to if the Bucs are to win.
September 2nd, 2025 at 12:02 pm
BA on Pat McAffe right now
September 2nd, 2025 at 12:10 pm
Can’t wait for Sunday!
September 2nd, 2025 at 12:20 pm
I hope we run way more than pass on Sunday… use all of our RBs and pound the birds into submission ( and keep our D off the field)
September 2nd, 2025 at 12:26 pm
I can see about 5-7 targets, some short passes to get him going at NFL game speed. What he does with those targets, I am confident he will do the best with them. He’s pro ready day 1!
September 2nd, 2025 at 12:29 pm
Don’t think he’ll need a couple of games to settle in. By all accounts, he’s ready. And, with Godwin and McMillan out, I believe he will get a lot of targets. He’s going to break the trend of low production on opening day for Bucs rookies!
BEAT ATLANTA!!!
September 2nd, 2025 at 12:51 pm
I think EE and ME put on a show in week one. Both go over 100 yards. ME with two TDs and EE grabs one TD.
September 2nd, 2025 at 1:26 pm
Total tds for him set at 3.5! I pounded that over, hell he might have that by the time Godwin gets back!$$$ let’s go
September 2nd, 2025 at 1:30 pm
I can’t wait for Todd to line Egbuka up at offensive tackle. No one will expect it. That crazy unpredictable genius will turn heads for his mad scientist ways.
September 2nd, 2025 at 1:30 pm
I’m with Dewey up there. I can see a line very similar to that. 5-6 grabs for 65-85 yards and a TD.
Why should a guy being raved about as being polished and not acting like a rookie, need games to adjust? I have no doubt he is going to hit the ground running. I can see an ATL DB needing to adjust after Emeka smoothly avoids the tackle and goes for a bunch of YAC.
September 2nd, 2025 at 3:20 pm
Don’t be surprised if Tez makes some noise too…… In spite of some people (🤡) calling him a dwarf/midget etc and predicting he wouldn’t make the team 👍🏼
September 2nd, 2025 at 3:42 pm
Double E is playing in the slot, and that means big stats in this offense.
I think you’re looking at something like 9 receptions, 110 yards, and a TD – and that’s my entry point, only goes up from there.
Once Godwin is back, those stats will come back to earth, but as long as Double E is in the slot – he’s going to rack up big time numbers, and casual football fans who have IQ’s smaller than their shoe sizes, will say he’s the teams top dog WR and start disrespecting Evans because they’re too stupid to understand what a slot does compared to an outside WR and how they’re used very differently. Mark my words, by the end of week one, even idiots in the comments here will be talking about how Double E is the new #1.
September 2nd, 2025 at 10:35 pm
Mike and Benn was going to be special 💯💯💯
September 3rd, 2025 at 2:53 am
After reading posts about this guy I expect him to show up wearing a crown, having a big superman S on his chest instead of a uniform number, and wearing a superhero cape. But seriously, I can’t remember a rookie being more hyped up then this guy. I hope he plays well and can live up to the expectations. We shall see.