Todd Bowles: Critical Offseason For Emeka Egbuka
April 6th, 2026
What a season rookie Emeka Egbuka had last year with 63 catches for 938 yards and 6 touchdowns. He nearly matched the stunning Bucs rookie campaign of the late Mike Williams in 2010.
Williams had 65 catches for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns.
However, Williams was the Bucs’ No. 1 receiver from Day 1 of that stellar season that saw the Bucs shock the NFL and go 10-6 after winning three games in 2009. Williams also finished strong while Egbuka did not.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles talked about Egbuka at the NFC Coaches Breakfast last Monday in Phoenix, where Joe inhaled copious quantities of fruit and scrambled eggs.
“Egbuka having a good offseason, you know his first offseason understanding how the game is played and how long the season is, will help him as well,” Bowles noted.
Nobody at One Buc Palace hides that Egbuka dealt with the dreaded rookie wall. Heck, even Egbuka talked about fighting the grind during his Super Bowl tour.
A year with eager mentors Mike Evans and Chris Godwin should have helped Egbuka learn the game at an elite level, Bowles added. “Mentally, those guys are about as sharp as they come,” he said.
Key will be for Egbuka to build on all his rookie lessons, along with other young players.
“You can’t replace the production Mike [Evans] had on the field, what he did in the community off the field, what Lavonte [David] did on and off the field – the leadership and the presence they’ve shown in the locker room. But they’ve taught these guys how to be professional,” Bowles said.
“They’ve taught these guys how to approach ballgames, and they taught these guys what a pro looks like. So, if guys are taking and grasping that and then growing [on] their own, then I think we’ll get better from that standpoint.”
In many ways, 2026 will be a new era of Bucs football.
Yes, Joe knows the head coach remains, but so much has changed when it comes to the coaching staff and core leadership, along with a load of new faces on defense and special teams.
Perhaps the biggest key to success post-Evans is Egbuka becoming a true No. 1 receiver. Few teams thrive without one.
April 6th, 2026 at 4:04 am
Granted there’s been changes, but don’t believe that will change anything when the same voice, demeanor, and lack of accountability/leadership is running the entire show.
April 6th, 2026 at 5:40 am
Along with Godwin and Jmac, he’ll be fine.
April 6th, 2026 at 6:40 am
What exactly has changed with the core leadership? Be specific, what’s changed? The guy making all the final decisions is still here and the guy that touches the ball every offensive play is still here. That remains the same so nothing has really changed since the team wins and loses with their decision making.
April 6th, 2026 at 6:47 am
A good way to train your body for elite quickness and stamina is swimming as fast as you can as often as possible. Another is a cross trainer with some resistance.
April 6th, 2026 at 7:06 am
We’ll see, I’ve no doubts about Egbukas’ talent as an individual, but he can only be as effective as the play that effects his play directly.
Being a “True No.1” sounds good in writing, but being able to not only win consistently, get the ball, and then making something happen takes a lot of other things going right. Not to mention, defenses will also see Egbuka as a number 1 and learning to beat that while staying on time is going to be a new road for the young dude.
April 6th, 2026 at 7:31 am
I think Godwin will be the 1, as he will be healthy and a focus in this type offense like he was under Coen. He was having a phenomenal season before he got hurt.
I also believe JMac will surprise a lot of people. To come back from that neck injury and play so well tells me he has the fire to be great. If Egbuka is better than last year then we have a good receiver group.