The Emeka Egbuka Mystery
June 11th, 2026
“Blame ‘Grizz?'”
Look, Joe loves Emeka Egbuka. Thinks he will be a damn fine receiver in the NFL.
So if that’s the case, that Egbuka is a stud receiver, why did Egbuka go MIA in the second half of the season? A pair of local sports radio hosts seem to think you can blame one man.
And no, it’s not Baker Mayfield.
Pat Donovan and Aaron Jacobson, co-hosts of the “Pat and Aaron Show” heard weekday mornings on WDAE-AM 620/WDAE-FM 97.5, seem to think last year’s rookie offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard was likely to blame for both Egbuka’s vanishing and the Bucs offense going into the toilet after the bye.
Right now, Joe leans that way too. However, he wants to see how Egbuka bounces back.
Perhaps defenses last year figured out Grizzard and that explains why the Bucs offense went into the tank? Donovan suggested if an offense gets healthier, as the Bucs offense did later in the season, and the offense still gets worse, that’s on the offensive coordinator.
Joe understands that ESPN’s Ben Solak believed Egbuka was damaged goods after he suffered a hamstring injury and never fully recovered. Joe’s not going to hammer a rookie as the rookie wall is real.
The hesitation Joe has with calling out Grizzard is that Egbuka started out like a house on fire. If Grizzard was that bad, Egbuka wouldn’t have come roaring out of the gate.
Again, maybe defenses adjusted and Grizzard didn’t have a counterpunch?
Joe also cannot rule out Mayfield being a factor. He was not the same guy who before the bye looked like an All-Pro quarterback. And that’s exactly why the Joe typing this here post is in no hurry to extend Mayfield. What’s wrong with seeing how he plays this year and then offering him a contract?
And yes, Joe knows the Bucs already offered Mayfield a contract. Once again, Joe’s last name is not “Glazer.”
@957wdae Mike Evans is gone from TB and someone is gonna have to fill the void… could it be Emeka Egbuka? 🏈 👀 Who do you think will be Bakers WR1?! @PatandAaron @Aaron Jacobson @PatDonovanRadio ♬ original sound – 957wdae
June 11th, 2026 at 4:06 am
I think it’s more likely that all of those factors, rookie wall, DC’s figuring out Griss’s offense, the hamstring injury and Mayfield’s declining play, played a part in EE’s inferior offense performances in the second half of the season. And I agree with you that Mayfield’s performance should be evaluated after the season. If he loves living in Tampa as much as he says, he will accept a contract after the season.
I also think that if given a chance, Jaylon Daniels will eventually win the quarterback job.
June 11th, 2026 at 6:15 am
It has become obvious that that Grizz had no idea what he was doing last year. All bets are off. This year we have a real Offensive coordinator and what should be a vastly improved defense. Definitely reasons to be excited once we get Baker resigned for the long term . Go Bucs!