Emeka Egbuka Versus Mike Williams
December 9th, 2025
Rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka.
The late and sometimes great NFL receiver Mike Williams, the Bucs’ fourth-round pick in 2010, was handed the Tampa Bay’s No. 1 receiver job a handful of weeks after he was drafted.
It wasn’t too big for him, despite no-name rookie receivers playing opposite him.
Williams finished his rookie year with 964 yards receiving (16-game season) with 65 catches and 11 touchdowns. He hauled in 50.4 percent of his targets and caught a whopping 44 first downs.
Bucs 2025 first-round pick receiver Emeka Egbuka also is having a stellar rookie season. He’s on pace, per ESPN, for 71 catches for 1,054 yards and 8 touchdowns on a 49 percent catch rate.
Egbuka, however, has struggled in the No. 1 receiver role, something he didn’t have to deal with early in the year. (Yes, Joe watched the All-22 and knows Chris Godwin drew some double-teams Sunday.)
Williams also saw his production tail off late in his rookie year, but he managed 5 touchdowns in the final five games. That’s likely the kind of closing production the Bucs need from Egbuka to make the playoffs.
He hasn’t squeezed a TD throw since Nov. 9.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:08 am
Emeka is used to being a number 2 or 3 at OSU where he didn’t have to worry about it being all on him. I think being in the spotlight as the number 1 really cooked him. He is a good complimentary receiver because of his intelligence but he isn’t an athletic freak.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:20 am
Egbuka is for sure talented. #1 WR, remains to be seen. I believe though.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:23 am
Greg Olson > Josh Grizzard.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:23 am
Squeeze? That’s just goofy.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:25 am
He’s a rookie and will be much better next year. We will still need more help since Evans and Godwin are old and getting older. McMillan is still a GIANT question mark with his neck. I’m not expecting much from him at all, ever. I would be happily surprised if he can even be a contributor. And I hope I’m wrong.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:27 am
It’s extra difficult being a number one receiver when the other two receivers are number six and number seven. Defenses can not only put their best cover guy on him but can also scheme around him as not only the biggest but also the only downfield threat.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:34 am
Mobucs is right! Plus Otten hasn’t done anything but drop passes. This makes for a very difficult situation.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:38 am
My question with Egbuka, is he injured or something? A few games back I noticed him getting rapped around his ribs and there was a comment about him having sore rib s or something.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:43 am
The entire team has imploded. Literally everybody has contributed to this seismic plunge. GM. HC/DC. OC and every player. Watching other teams I see enthusiasm, energy and passion. Watching our team I see disinterest, going thru the motions, no heart and no will to win. And it shows big time. This 2025 season has been nothing but disappointment since the bye week. It’s most definitely time to blow this whole thing up.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:44 am
Ahhh yes the old end around to Benn opposite of Williams. Hahah. He was a good wide mike was
December 9th, 2025 at 11:54 am
I like Egbuka alot, and I think he’ll be a great Buc for a long time, but a 49% catch rate is not good.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:55 am
Can we make Anthony Nelson a tight end. At least he’s tall.
December 9th, 2025 at 11:58 am
BucsU Says is spot on!
December 9th, 2025 at 12:19 pm
Mr. Butterfingers. The guy cannot be counted on. Miller is better. EE needs to ride the bench. He is not a #1 WR for a reason. Flash in the pan, prove me wrong.
December 9th, 2025 at 12:19 pm
The Bucs already have a tall TE they dont use.
I expect am entirely new coaching staff next year save Carbs
December 9th, 2025 at 12:38 pm
Still no Devin Culp. Still no Elijah Klein.
December 9th, 2025 at 12:45 pm
🤞🏼
December 9th, 2025 at 1:08 pm
If EE was and Mayfield were playing behind Donald Penn, Ted Larsen, Davin Joseph, Jeremy Zuttah, and Jeremy Trueblood EE’s numbers would look a lot better. If they were playing behind a healthy starting O line his numbers would be better.
Rookie wall-check
Broken o-line- check
Hurt QB-check
Can’t really compare the 2 seasons with so many different variables. At least with EE he has his head on straight and we should hopefully see many many great years of Buke.
R.I.P Mike Williams
December 9th, 2025 at 1:27 pm
I Don’t think they have a choice BUT TO BLOW IT ALL UP…
Warnings from the non pollyanna portion of the fan base went rejected FOR YEARS!
Well……. NOW…… The Players ARE MAKING A STAND! What a lot of you couldn’t see for years, IS Slapping US ALL in the face NOW! What’s “clear” is that the players have had enough!
It’s Really NOT a mystery. Apparently THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL! And “the PLAYERS” are writing it! They’re DONE! They HAVE 110% REJECTED TODD BOWLES! “Probably” He LIED TO THEM. He DISMISSED what they were trying to TELL HIM! You can name what you want BUT this ALL LIES AT BOWLES FEET “FIRST”! But NOT the last…
Usually, something of this caliber IS TIED to the GM as well. I KNOW he (Jason Licht) DID NOT BET ON THEM THIS YEAR! Licht DIDN’T Support them when they (the players) needed him to, the MOST… We BADLY NEEDED (and certainly still do) HELP on the Defense! ESPECIALLY WITH BOWLES OBSCURE THINKING! Can’t Possibly Cover what he’s asking them to do! It’s FRUITLESS!
Licht GAVE THEM NOTHING!. Think “in the spirit of” when you’re a player. And the support Licht didn’t give “showed them” that he (Licht) didn’t “believe” in them. This All started Right After the trade dead line. Did it not? I’m aware that the by week was also right there. Somewhere in there, SOMETHING MASSIVE HAPPENED FROM WITHIN! A Revolt if you will, ensued directly after…
Let me ask you. DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE MANAGEMENTS ATTENTION NOW?!! YOU BET!
It’s GOING To Change Now! The REAL QUESTION IS… well, we haven’t figured that out yet. SO MANY DIRECTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM from a “guessing” point of view…
In the end the “players” have turned their collective backs and are saying to Bowles, Licht, AND the Glazers, just one word over and over again…
Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame………..
December 9th, 2025 at 1:36 pm
mike williams had more dawg in him….
love EE2 but i dont think he’s a dawg…he’s another nice guy
GO BUCS!!!!
December 9th, 2025 at 1:57 pm
Just remember we could have picked vooper de jean. We could have picked Quinton Mitchell
December 9th, 2025 at 2:05 pm
Love EE. He should have an above average career no doubt. Listen everyone drops passes. Our hall of fame WR and the best offensive weapon the Bucs have ever drafted in the history of the Bucs in Mikey had the case of the dropsies early in his career. I remember people saying he can’t catch because of it. Also what I don’t like from JOE and other fans is the fact EE gets a pass on the drops but yet yall call Otton unreliable when he’s had less drops then EE
December 9th, 2025 at 2:24 pm
He’s obviously a solid player from an excellent college program. He’s smart and socially savvy as well. I think way too many bouquets were thrown his way early on…and he’s hit the wall a bit. Lost a little confidence when he was banged up as well. It sure would have been nice had he reeled in that would be touchdown pass. Admittedly the pass was high and had velocity when a touch pass would have done just fine. Losing Evans didn’t help him a bit either.
December 9th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
He’s dropped a few. And Baker has missed him on a few.
I hope they start having fun again
We also need to roll with Tucker.
He has fresh legs. Every defender on every time is a little tired or banged up.
Tucker runs a 4.3. Starting him and feeding him the entire first half would be genius.
Then Rashad all 3rd quarter.
And bring in a fresh Bucky to close it out in the 4th.
But Tucker is just moving so much faster than Bucky and Rashad right now.
Bowles is too loyal sometimes.
SVD needs to be benched for Deion Jones and Izien on dime packages.
Logan Hall needs to be benched for JPP.
And Chukwuma needs to start at LG after Wirfs comes back.
Chewks is an NFL athlete.
And tbh. Wirfs would make the ideal LG.
Slide the speedster Chukwuma to LT.
Wirfs can move DTs and NTs. Most guards don’t get much push.
I bet Wirfs could create holes.
And Chukwuma has really fast feet. Which you want at LT.
Just a thought.
December 9th, 2025 at 3:00 pm
As Troy Aikman said last night when AJ Brown had a high pass hit both his hands a slide through: “NFL receivers are paid to make that catch”. But Bowles of course would never say that because that’s who he is, a players coach who has minimal expectations with a lack of accountability for his players not being aggressive and taking on ball carriers with fundamental tackling. Also for a former DB Bowles doesn’t coach fundamentally sound coverage. Notice all of our CBs never have eye awareness on the ball. I see well coached DBs don’t run with the WRs with backs turned away from QBs.
December 9th, 2025 at 3:32 pm
Teacher, I don’t necessarily agree with a lot of what you post, but that was a good one. Well done. The only thing I didn’t agree with is there’s no way Wuryfs is moving from tackle obviously.
December 9th, 2025 at 3:33 pm
*Wirfs
December 9th, 2025 at 4:56 pm
eoschwartz Says:
December 9th, 2025 at 3:00 pm
As Troy Aikman said last night when AJ Brown had a high pass hit both his hands a slide through: “NFL receivers are paid to make that catch”.
=====================================
Everyone who knows the game knows the truth of what Aikman said. The anti Baker crowd isn’t into truth.
December 9th, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Egbuka doesn’t make the tough catches and won’t be elite until he does. He is not big or fast enough to really be a dominant receiver. When everybody is healthy I would put him as the number 4 WR behind Evans, Godwin, and McMillan. But Grizzard has become a big problem. His predictability against the Saints absolutely killed several drives. You can’t put one back behind the QB on 4th and 1 and run it up the middle every time. Defenses know exactly what he’s going to do. I don’t care how good Irving is, if they know what is coming they are going to stop runs up the middle every time. Grizzard seems to be afraid to pass on 4th down. If you roll Mayfield out and give him options you are much more likely to be successful IMO.
December 9th, 2025 at 7:00 pm
e2’s production has plummeted because Baker has sucked for the last two months. That’s the beginning and end of the story. If Baker throws a better ball on Sunday, he’s got a TD – instead Baker does the same thing he’s been doing for nearly two months now, and turns an easy routine throw into a hard throw. Should e2 have caught it? Sure, but it’s also a rainy and wet day, and a hard catch – people acting like he dropped an easy pass are literally retarded.
But right now no one looks great as Baker looks is playing like crap and dragging down everyone with him. If, when, he ever snaps out of it, everything will magically be better – and all the morons out there will claim Baker was always playing great, just now all his team mates are doing their job – not that Baker even needs his team mates since he wins all the games single handed (like they said early this year). Then when Baker starts playing like crap again, everyone will say, oh Baker is being let down by his team mates, he’s doing it all but he can’t get any help, oh and of course he’s clearly not healthy. Then repeat the same talking points over and over and over again.
Baker is not a consistent QB and that is why he’s been a journeyman, and it’s why no one gave him a huge big money deal when he was a FA before last season. If Baker want’s the big deal, he needs to catch fire on Thursday night and go on a big run, including in the playoffs. If he does that he’ll get a big new deal this offseason. If he doesn’t, then next year will be a lame duck year for Baker, Bowles and Licht. Personally, while I’m sick of all the Baker worship, I’m still wanting him to do well because it means the Bucs do well, and it’s worth noting, in 2023 when he spent the entire middle part of the season playing like trash – he did out of the blue snap out of it with 4 games left – so maybe that same thing happens on Thursday night.
December 9th, 2025 at 7:20 pm
I can’t help but think being a rookie WR1 isn’t easy when the people playing WR2 and WR3 are actually WR4 talent at best.
Doesn’t excuse the drop, but it could explain a lot for the performance prior to CG looking like himself again.
All EE needs to do now is get out of his own head and stop pressing. It almost looks like he isn’t playing with the same confidence as he had earlier this year.