Baker Mayfield Goes To Bat For Emeka Egbuka
December 8th, 2025
Emeka Egbuka can’t quite hang on to a potential touchdown catch Sunday.
Joe has noticed the grumbling last night and this morning. And Joe understands, but let’s not get carried away.
Emeka Egbuka is not Michael Clayton II. The guy, through his big-time college career and so far very short NFL career, has tons of street cred for being a fine receiver.
Perhaps he’s being asked to do too much too soon due to injuries? Perhaps the rookie wall has hit?
Asking a rookie to be a playoff contender’s No. 1 receiver is a big bite. Maybe too big.
Baker Mayfield won’t tolerate any Egbuka hate. Mayfield used his platform yesterday after the dreary loss to the slimy Saints to defend Egbuka.
In the past couple of weeks, the Chris Godwin clone has developed a case of the yips, dropping potential touchdown passes, including a big one yesterday when he was wide-ass open in the end zone. Had Egbuka hung on, that could have been the game-winner.
“Mek (Emeka) is a professional,” Mayfield began. “Obviously, he’s going to beat himself up about that.
“After [the drop] I went up to him and told him, ‘The ball is going to find you again in this two-minute drive when we get it back, so we’re gonna need you.’”
Mayfield said howling at a receiver for drops won’t do a damn bit of good.
“It’s just the nature of the game,” Mayfield said. “Telling people to catch the ball doesn’t do anything.
“They’re not trying to drop it, so I just [told] him to pick his head up. Stuff happens – we’ve gotta move forward [and] gotta play the next play.”
The Bucs have a lot of problems right now and Joe doesn’t consider Egbuka’s sudden dropsies to be the worst of them.
Defending kickoffs, defending the pass, throwing the ball forward and not sideways, targeting your Pro Bowl receiver instead of an unreliable tight end on money downs and the perpetual issue of not sacking the quarterback (enough) are far bigger problems than Egbuka dropping a pass or two.
December 8th, 2025 at 11:51 am
If a sack doesn’t cause a punt on that series of downs, it’s just as useless as a pressure. Bucs have been giving up first downs after sacks *way* too often. We are actually middling in sack rate but they don’t always help you win the game.
December 8th, 2025 at 11:57 am
In your last post Joe, you speculated that Bowles may have lost the locker room. Whatever happened to “That Man” concept pushed by Licht and epitomized by Lavonte Dave – team oriented, good person, loves football, plays hard? I don’t think it’s the players as much as it is the systems they play in, defensively, offensively and special teams. We need new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Accountability shouldn’t stop with the players.
December 8th, 2025 at 11:59 am
Hey Joe , you are dead on leave Egbuka alone. He is a rookie and will have growing pains. My guess ,he is pressing to hard trying to help the team. If he was the biggest problem this team has, we would be in great shape.
The team has some big , big problems, but Eguka is not 1 of them. He is the future. Leave the Man alone
December 8th, 2025 at 12:02 pm
That particular pass considering the weather was understandable, certainly catchable for a PRO elite WR.
That said he has dropped a 1/2 dozen catchable balls this year.
.
Joes
How did LT
Chukwuma grade out yesterday?
A ray of light …
December 8th, 2025 at 12:06 pm
honestly, it really didn’t matter if he caught that ball or not because the Saints were easily marching down the field anyway to either kick a FG or Shough run for another 40 yd TD. Moot point
December 8th, 2025 at 12:07 pm
E2 has so far been overrated. It looks like another draft bust.
December 8th, 2025 at 12:08 pm
In all honesty, Egbuka is known for making some tough catches throughout collegiate career (and now NFL career) and also dropping some easy ones. Kinda like Mike Evans tbh
December 8th, 2025 at 12:08 pm
The throw could’ve been alot better also
December 8th, 2025 at 12:08 pm
Listen, why do you think Brady came to Tampa Bay? I will tell you because he was coming to a weak conference and Tampa had All the talent just needed one thing. A quarterback, who knows how to win and is a proven winner, so he was that missing element and Tampa won a Super Bowl. But he left and in and came Mayfield, and coach Bowles both not great at their position. Just mediocre, so the result is what it is.
Blame whoever you want if that makes you feel better or helps you justify what you feel.
But the bottom line is as long as those two are in control Tampa will not have another super bowl championship.
December 8th, 2025 at 12:08 pm
It’s crazy because everyone on joebucs has seen Mike Evans drop many bombs where he when he skip and go into the end zone
December 8th, 2025 at 12:12 pm
As usual the fan base here developed an unreasonable infatuation with the 3rd best receiver on last year’s OHIO State team. EE is and will be a good receiver for the BUCS. This years draft was supposed to fix the defense. Not enough evidence that it did. Hate to say it because I think Todd B is a good man, but he is the one constant in a horrible defense over the last 3 years. Time to try something else.
December 8th, 2025 at 12:15 pm
Buka has been doing so great and is a very humble kid too. I am still thinking there is something going on, loss of the locker room, and/or something else we aren’t aware of. Thinking that Buka will bounce back. Good for Baker watching out for him.
December 8th, 2025 at 12:21 pm
EE is fine. A better throw would have resulted in a TD. He’s WIDE OPEN for god’s sake, and we throw it so he has to leap to catch it???
That one is on BAKER.
December 8th, 2025 at 12:27 pm
LANshark,
Now we know why you were in the band in high school. All season long we routinely see NFL WIDE OUTS catch footballs in a crowd with sometimes one hand. That ball was very catchable and EE said as much.
December 8th, 2025 at 12:27 pm
Throw that pass so he can run under it and not stop, and have to field it like a pop fly. Yes EE should’ve caught it, but a better throw would’ve made that even easier.
Either way, I don’t see the rollercoaster this team is on stopping anytime soon
December 8th, 2025 at 12:27 pm
This is your daily reminder,
Bowles is 27-24 as the Bucs HC.
December 8th, 2025 at 12:30 pm
“As usual the fan base here developed an unreasonable infatuation with the 3rd best receiver on last year’s OHIO State team.”
Literally left OSU as the all-time receiving yards leader, what are you even on about? Mind you, that was a 19-YEAR OLD RECORD
December 8th, 2025 at 12:33 pm
baker has to go to bat for EE2 cuz the pass couldve and shouldve been better…either way EE2 shouldve caught the ball imo…
offensively- poor play calling, poor play design and poor personnel
defensively- outdated scheme, poor fundamentals, no urgency
kick coverage- horrible…
too many nice guys walking around One Buc Place…and nice guys come in last
GO BUCS!!!!
December 8th, 2025 at 12:36 pm
Joe’s right, Emeka is not Michael Clayton 2.0.
Clayton had a 65% catch rate his rookie year, Buk has a 49% catch rate.
Buk is looking worse than Stone Hands Clayton.
December 8th, 2025 at 12:38 pm
Quick question. Why wasn’t the low hit on baker on the final drive 3rd down play not get a penalty?
December 8th, 2025 at 12:38 pm
AMEN.
– worst special teams in the league
– worst red zone offense in the league
– bottom 3 3rd down offense
– bottom 3 in penalties
– bottom 3 pass defense
IT STARTS AT THE TOP! FIRE TODD BOWLES!
December 8th, 2025 at 12:42 pm
I’m not hating on EE and believe he is apart of the future. But as a 1st rd draft pick 19th overall when the ball hits your hands in the endzone uncontested by a defender you got to make the catch. Also before halftime creating legal separation within field goal range with seconds remaining don’t get flagged and back pedal out of range. 10 points were left off the board from a 1st rd draft pick not playing to potential. It’s gotta be coached and played better. I still believe he will come around.
December 8th, 2025 at 12:57 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch – That doesn’t mean anything. Ebuka played 4 full seasons. Jeremiah Smith and Marvin Harrison were THE guys at Ohio State. Ebuka was the number 2/3 receiver and played in the slot. Does it make him a bad player? No. He’s a pro’s pro, but hes not some all world talent. Everyone was in a hurry to put him with Justin Jefferson, Chase or…ironically..Jaxson Smith Ngigba and frankly he doesnt jump off the screen like that. Mike Evans will likely retire, and I absolutely do not want to go in to next yr with no true X. And when I say x, someone that can line up OUTSIDE. A mismatch. Someone that doesnt require the ball to be perfectly thrown in stride, just throw it up. I love Ebuka a ton as the number 2 and find a real 5 star guy as the 1 in n ideal world. We need real speed, right now our team speed in general is completely pedestrian
December 8th, 2025 at 12:58 pm
All I see from EE is big separation out of well run routes. I wouldn’t give up on this kid!
December 8th, 2025 at 1:00 pm
Very hard catch in those conditions. Needs a better ball thrown to him.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:03 pm
Another high fastball from Baker but EE didnt make an acrobatic, backwards catch and now he’s the scapegoat. I mean EE was wide open and had to jump up 5 ft to have a chance at the ball that was going 100 mph. Good leadership by Baker for taking accountability.
This team is a joke. If Bowles and Baker are any good then they’ll run the table. Let’s see what happens
December 8th, 2025 at 1:12 pm
@gofortheface
So production over time is a trend < popularity?
Fwiw, Jerimiah Smith doesn't look nearly as good as he did lining up with EE & Harrison in the lineup. In fact, even against Indiana this past saturday the kid caught 8 balls for 144 and didn't find the endzone once in a losing effort.
"A mismatch. Someone that doesnt require the ball to be perfectly thrown in stride, just throw it up."
That's kind of my point about Baker, it's not about EE he should've caught the ball, but having to bend air because the ball is on a trajectory to go over his damn head(sound familiar?) rather than being led into the reception is an example thats been repeated throughout this season with anybody eligible to catch a pass from our starting QB.
There's plenty of WR talent coming out next draft. I myself have vouched for targeting guys like Chris Brazzell II or a Duce Robinson or even Ian Strong out of Rutgers.
My thing is, even a big tall rangy WR isn't going to make Baker more accurate.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:13 pm
After looking at said play 5 times…each time I said “come on Bake”, meaning Baker made a bad throw. Receivers are having troubles this year- and it all starts with the QB and the offensive coordinator. Until those 2 guys figure out what kind of offense we’re going to play the rest of the offense will look just as bad as the 2 of them are looking.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:15 pm
WarrenBrooks,
Good that we just let you say stupid stuff because it reveals your lack of credibility. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate at OSU were last year better wide outs then EE. That’s not a knock on EE. It’s just the truth.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:20 pm
I enjoy every game TB coaches.
He’s a real gem.
Looking forward to the next three seasons.
#Winning!!!
December 8th, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Hey Bakey Bake, go to bat FOR YOURSELF. Me and other ppl see that deflection tactic..Your not fooling NOBODY lol. Last 4 games:1-3. This guy is completing 54% of his passes, 530 yards with 4td and 4int. Average 5.0 yards and attempt lol. While the team runs for 150 yards a game during that span, and even if you take away his rush yards still getting 120. So the OC can call “run” plays but not ” pass” plays.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:22 pm
Ebuka is fine but the longer the season goes on the more it looks like Tyliek Williams or Schwesinger or Jihaad Campbell might have been better picks
December 8th, 2025 at 1:24 pm
Gipper
Egbuka caught 29 more passes, >200 more yards and score twice as much as Tate last season at OSU. Again production > popularity, unless you just like to let emotion take over and fool you into making terrible takes. If so, that’s you perogative
December 8th, 2025 at 1:24 pm
Off the finger tips just like I said he should have just floated the ball but it happens to every quarterback. But I see now without Mike Evans Baker is a 15 ranked quarterback.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:25 pm
Jason Licht cannot draft a pass rusher for the life of him… and its not a big knocm
On him because the last bucs gm to draft a pass rusher… rich mcckay? Can someone fact check?
December 8th, 2025 at 1:28 pm
Ok I’ll bite..again..Is LeBron James a better basketball player than Michael Jordan simply because he played a full decade longer? Those are longevity stats. AGAIN, does it make him a bad player? No. And what’re you talking about when throwing out the whole “popularity” thing. Did you think this through? It’s not really a hot take to suggest there are guys more physically gifted than Ebuka. Is that the end alll, be alll? No. But I don’t do exceptions to the norm. I do not view him as an X. Mike Evans is an X. This is not personal towards Ebuka. We have a team full of SLOT guys. We need some dynamic talent and more team speed, on both sides of the ball. I think most would agree
December 8th, 2025 at 1:28 pm
Fire the architect of the worst pass defense in the legue who doubles as a part time head coach who also has rotten offense and special teams.
Fire him. Now. This afternoon. Who cares if the secretary in the reception area takes over.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:29 pm
EE has dropped some very catchable passes in recent weeks. But that one was tough. Baker needs to put more touch on it. Maybe without the rain EE is able to come down with it, who knows.
@Gipper- your homerism is showing. I’m a Baker fan, but he’s not infallible. It’s okay to admit that pass could have been better. That said, he’s certainly not the biggest issue with this team by any means. Nor is EE.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:40 pm
unbelievable,
If the new standard for any QB is every pass has to hit a receiver in the middle of his chest, that’s just unreasonable. Professional WR’S WHO GET 2 HANDS ON A BALL ARE SUPPOSED TO CATCH IT. It is tiring to have to explain the obvious to guys who sit on couches slurping beers and pretending to know what they are talking about.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:46 pm
GoForTheFace
Bro, Egbuka was targeted more and caught more passes than Jerimiah Smith in 2024. Did he have more explosive plays? No, but the same longevity stats you’re trying to deny just proves that even with all that “better” talent around him in his time at OSU, Egbuka still remained a reliable contributor.
You’re talking about needing a X-WR, literally gave you 3 names off the top of my head because I think the same, but I’m not going to get in a moronic back n forth over whether or not you think Egbuka is an X-WR off.
The popularity thing comes from people knowing who the big name stars are and in this very case like Gipper, thinking well known = better players/more productive, and that’s horse crap.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:51 pm
That missed TD is about 70-30 Mayfield’s fault. Wide open receiver, no need to gun it over his head. Baker was not under much “pressure” which Jose says means nothing to a good QB.
December 8th, 2025 at 1:53 pm
If you really want to go to bat just tell the full story about how EE almost broke the corners hips with a great route and was 7 or 8 yards behind him and I should have put a lot more air under the ball and let him run under it-that is how you should go to bat.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:00 pm
WarrenBrooks,
Here is what I said in april 2025 and will say it again for the lunkhead crowd. If you were a NFL GM and you were picking the best WR on OSU Football team in 2024-25 season, here is the order you would have picked; Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and then EE. Don’t think that is a complicated topic.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
I read that before Sunday’s game Baker and Bucky were both fined for their TD celebration during the Arizona game that was not flagged. For the nose gesture, Baker was fined around $14k and Bucky $6k. That was sort of dirty to give them the fine when it wasn’t flagged by the refs during the last game. That could have been in their heads going into the game too. I swear, the league doesn’t want the Bucs in the playoffs. And some of the ref calls are erroneous.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:16 pm
@Gipper
Jerimiah Smith wasn’t even draft eligible last year, but thanks for trying to make a hypothetical about a hypothetical that couldn’t be, sound believable for the sake of making a comparison.
Did you know, last year as a team OSU caught 325 total passes?
Egbuka caught a share of 81 of those receptions with ALL that talent around him which led the team.
Smith might come out this year, but his numbers are slightly down as the main WR target for the Buckeyes.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:21 pm
If Baker can put a little air under the ball he would make things a lot easier on the receivers with the deep ball.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:38 pm
@Gipper – no one claimed that, settle down and take off your homerism.
Baker is not infallible. Pass could have been better, catch could have been better. Plenty of blame to go around. I for one have not claimed that Mayfield is the reason we lost. I think he had about 2 bad throws all game, which is a pretty good day.
But that pass did not need to be a rocket. You can see the photo above, he barely got his finger tips on it, and it was raining / wet ball. A little more touch and it’s probably a catch. That’s all.
December 8th, 2025 at 2:43 pm
“A little more touch and it’s probably a catch. That’s all.”
Those drills Brady-Gabbert-Trask used to do every offseason tossing passes into buckets to fine tune touch, come to mind.
December 8th, 2025 at 3:11 pm
Wait, so Baker didn’t say, “it’s on me, if I throw a better ball it’s an easy catch”?
WOW.
Yes, e2 should catch that ball, any ball you get two hands on, should be caught. Then again, it’s a wet rainy day, and he’s wide open, and Baker has time, and throws with zero touch and high making the catch dramatically more difficult than it should have been.
Again, e2 is the responsible party – but wow, for Baker not to take any blame for not throwing a better pass. WOW.
December 8th, 2025 at 4:12 pm
Baker shifting the narrative. He thinks everyone is dumb enough to say well if Baker semi publicly blames E2, it will shift away from me. E2 gets some blame but if Bakey Bake out it where it needed to be,E2 MOONWALK into the end zone. Fake injury vs the Rams, this. Dude is getting pretty desperate. He has a career in politics, especially here in Tampa. Politics would be perfect for him. BS, smoke and mirrors.
December 8th, 2025 at 4:12 pm
Hey Munch I would love to see you through a wet football, for that matter any football…. You would be either an Uncle Rico or an obama throwing a baseball. I probably think it would be obama throwing a baseball.
December 8th, 2025 at 4:13 pm
Munch…. I mean THROW a ball
December 8th, 2025 at 4:35 pm
One thing Baker did not say about the EE drop is that the throw could have been better. And EE has not said that either.
December 8th, 2025 at 5:04 pm
WarrenB,
Well aware who was draftable at OSU and who wasn’t. One final time, I am talking about EE relative ranking in a group of players. GEEZ
December 8th, 2025 at 6:33 pm
On the TD pass, a wet ball was at the end of his finger tips. 9 of 10 receivers don’t make that catch. Baker missed a lot of throws yesterday and that was just another one. Sure it would have been an awesome catch but if Baker put just a little more air under that pass, it would’ve been a TD. Timing was off due to wet conditions and Baker couldn’t make the adjustment. I love Baker and wouldn’t trade him for another QB, but yesterday wasn’t his day. On one drive they ran it down the Saints throats and I wish they would’ve stuck with the run more.
December 8th, 2025 at 6:36 pm
Grizzard has not proven his ability and creativity as an OC. He’s a big problem. Bowles and his garbage defense is a bigger problem, especially with a D line who can’t get sacks and a defense as a whole who forgot how to tackle. The Bucs keep going from bad to worse and I’m just calling it as I see it. We were junk.
December 8th, 2025 at 7:41 pm
Egbuka plays scared.
December 8th, 2025 at 9:24 pm
Some of yall come up with the absolute dumbest takes I swear…
December 9th, 2025 at 9:27 pm
I’ve said it here before Mayfield is a streaky player. He’s not going to take a shot at someone else for being in a rut. Still, there may be a deeper issue. Even when playing well Baker makes a lot of adjustments on his throws, sometimes with good intent such as to help his guy from getting hit and other times because he is very conscious of his passes getting batted down. The veteran guys like Evans and Sheppard immediately recognize that and it may take a bit for a natural precise route runner and a rookie to adjust. Egbuka appears to be a little suprised at the trajectory or location when the ball arrives to me, even on some of his catches.
December 11th, 2025 at 7:48 am
Dec 11th and this is the newest article I’m seeing when I come to this site. Probably not your fault Joe just wanted to confirm it’s on my end.