Are The Bucs’ Big Three Really That Big?
June 26th, 2026
How much left in that tank?
We are in the throes of List Season.
What is “List Season?” It’s where NFL writers concoct all sorts of lists to try to carry them the annual five or six-week NFL drought between the end of underwear football season and the opening of training camps.
Folicly-challenged Billy Barwell is no different. So this week, Billy cobbled together a list, Nos. 1-32, of NFL teams’ skill position groups.
Included is Billy’s breakdown of each team’s top-three receivers, the “big three.” Joe believes the Bucs’ wide receiver group is the strongest group on the team aside from the offensive line. And yes, Joe is aware Mike Evans is no longer on the roster.
But Billy hasquestions about the Bucs’ big three and Joe has to confess Billy really isn’t off the tracks. Basically, Billy asks, can “Unc” Chris Godwin with bad wheels stay on the field at 30? And which Emeka Egbuka will the Bucs get?
(Joe will add a question about Jalen McMillan. Can he take a step up and be a solid if not strong starting receiver?)
Billy has the Bucs’ offensive skill positions at No. 22 in the NFL.
The Bucs are one of the tougher teams around the league to evaluate heading into 2026. Obviously, losing Mike Evans without making a significant addition in response is going to drop Tampa Bay a bit, even if Evans was compromised for most of last season by injuries. I’m excited about third-round pick Ted Hurst III’s upside given his high-end athleticism, but the Georgia State product might need a year to adjust to stiffer competition in the NFL before making a larger impact in 2027.
What can we count on from the Bucs’ new “Big Three” in 2026? Emeka Egbuka was awesome to start the season, averaging 2.3 yards per route run through Week 10. He was down to 1.3 afterward, below guys such as Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Hutchinson. Chris Godwin Jr. came back from his gruesome ankle injury, dealt with fibula issues after initially returning and wasn’t back for good until Week 12. He had solid games against the Cardinals and Dolphins, but at 30 and with multiple serious injuries in his past, I’m not sure it’s realistic to project a peak-caliber season from Godwin, even after Evans’ departure.
Again, Joe thinks these are fair questions.
Joe’s stoked to see how Ted Hurst turns out, but Joe isn’t expecting a big impact from him this year for a couple of reasons. One a learning curve going from the Fun Belt to the NFL. And the Bucs are smart to bring him along at a comfortable pace.
One reason the Bucs can afford to do that is they will give McMillan every chance in the world to solidify himself as a legit starter. That’s also why Joe isn’t expecting an impact from Hurst until late in the season.
If McMillan can rise up and Hurst can show the NFL it isn’t too big for him, the Bucs ought to have a dangerous passing attack this fall.
June 26th, 2026 at 7:18 am
Agree Joe, I see Hurst in early games for only a few plays to stretch the defense with deep balls. The WR room will be near the top of the league if UNC stays healthy.
June 26th, 2026 at 7:45 am
NFL teams are good at evaluating incoming player talent. The Bucs receiver room in 2025 was a top 10 talent. There’s going to be an adjustment with the lose of Mike Evans but there are teams that would love to have a McMillan, Godwin (New England offered Godwin serious money with him coming off his serious injury) and Egbuka. Add in Tez Johnson and a Ted Hurst (Mike Evans clone) the Bucs could be dynamic behind a Robinson offense by mid season.
If injuries stay manageable the Bucs should win their Division. Seattle won it all last year. so why not the Bucs this year or maybe next year. The pieces are falling in place to be a serious contender by next year.
June 26th, 2026 at 8:04 am
I agree that it SHOULD be good, but we have to wait and see the offense how good can Chris be. If I were the Bucs I would add an experienced x WR when roster cuts happen .
June 26th, 2026 at 8:17 am
That’s respectable. Us as fans are typically looking through an optimistic lens. And while we may be right, the WRs will have to show and prove. So I don’t mind the ranking. However, I do believe that they will show and prove, and that our offense will be hard to stop. I also believe that from WRs 1-6 (Stills being the 6th WR), we have a top 5 WR room in the league.
June 26th, 2026 at 8:19 am
Want to hear something fun?
Sterling “freaking” Shepard had more catches and yards than both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin who combined for 4 total TDs to Shep’s 1…
I hope Egbuka is ready to grab the brass ring this season and Godwin is finally back to full health.
June 26th, 2026 at 8:25 am
JimBobBuc Says:
June 26th, 2026 at 7:18 am
Agree Joe, I see Hurst in early games for only a few plays to stretch the defense with deep balls.
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While I agree with this, it’s possible Hurst can still make a huge impact. He’s fast, is good at tracking the ball, and has good hands. If he can get some decent chemistry with Baker during training camp, a few deep balls thrown his way can result in some TD’s.
June 26th, 2026 at 8:27 am
Games are won on the field not on the computer screen of any sports writer. The Bucs have a long way to go to regain respectability.
June 26th, 2026 at 8:28 am
I think too much is being made about nothing. All world receiver Mike Evans is gone. That actually feels like a blessing. And I actually love the guy. The Bucs won’t have to worry about his annual hamstring issues or whatever injury is next. Baker Mayfield won’t feel the pressure of force feeding Mike. His 2025 production is easily replaced.
EE hit the rookie wall last year after a grueling college season. By his own admission he had tired legs. With ME13 out, EE, still a rookie became the focal point of opposing defenses. The Bucs will be ok.
June 26th, 2026 at 8:33 am
Side Note, I keep hearing speculation about EE being used like Cooper Kupp. That excites me.
June 26th, 2026 at 8:45 am
JMac will make noise this season. Wrs will be fine.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:00 am
Steep learning curve for Hurst? I’m not to sure. They said the same thing about a small school receiver out of Marshall. I believe his name was Randy Moss.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:04 am
@ Lt. Dan
“All world receiver Mike Evans is gone. That actually feels like a blessing.”
I agree 100%…
2026 ME13 = 2022 Julio Jones.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:39 am
Marine , I agree ME13 is more like Julio Jones 2022,
Or starting his D. Hopkins tour than getting back to old form. I hope he plays well but I said when he left that the timing was good for Bucs. Remember this is an opportunity to use the 20-25 million ME would have been given to sign younger players to extensions, or sign Baker and / VV..
June 26th, 2026 at 9:59 am
We aren’t exactly talking Steph, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson here using basketball as analogy. Those are all hall of famers, best players in the league. Our trio is good, but let’s not act like it’s the best in the league or even top 5. Which btw, is totally f’ing fine. I’m sure people will get bent out of shape, offended, etc but cmon. Now…Ted Hurst could add a dimension that we do not have and the conversation could change a bit, but either way it’s good, not great. Least of our problems on the team
June 26th, 2026 at 10:15 am
I agree with the discussion, but not the number. There are not 21 teams with top 3 WRs better than the Bucs. Where should the Bucs be at? Probably 12-16.
June 26th, 2026 at 10:43 am
Bunch of homers.
The WR group is weak as hell.
June 26th, 2026 at 10:53 am
I think if we expect to be a top offense we really need one guy to separate himself as a true #1. Right now we have like 3 guys that can be decent #2 and then Hurst and Tez who have potential. Also depends how our run game goes. We could easily be hovering a bit above average l, but I’m not sure about great. Also depends on how beat up Baker gets and how much the ball is spread around
June 26th, 2026 at 11:02 am
McMillan, Egbuka,, and Hurst are the future Buc top 3. How soon they play like it will determine how many points this team can generate. CG13 should still be a reliable slot receiver. Throw in the 2 Johnson’s and their play making abilities and all is good. Should be a fun season if the D can get off the field on 3rd and 4th downs.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:06 am
The only spot that matters on offense is the QB.
If he can’t get the ball to the WRs in crucial moments it doesn’t matter what personnel is on the field.
Tom Brady proved you can win with any receivers as long as they get the ball.
Baker always comes up short when the pressure is on. He’s a loser.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:15 am
Godwin is the best receiver on the team. He’s the no 1 option this year I think.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:16 am
The WR group is very strong and talented. Watch and see. A functional run game will help them a lot too as well as Bucky and Gainwell being awesome receivers and Bauer Sharp and Otton being more than capable of doing some damage. The talent on this offense is literally *everywhere* when healthy. The offensive line is top 5 too!
June 26th, 2026 at 11:24 am
The quality of the receiving corps or any eligible receiver on this team this season doesn’t mean anything if we cannot consistently get them the ball, in-phase and on the move.
This WR1 talk means nothing. Yes, Egbuka was our #1 targeted WR last year, but he also had the biggest disparity between targets and actual passes caught (no, they were not all drops). EE had 46 more targets(127 total) than our 2nd most targeted player Cade Otton(81 tgts), but EE only had 4 more catches than Otton.
Potential is like an ingredients for a meal, you can still eff it up with everything you need on hand if you do not cook it right.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:26 am
Jose, all that writing about receivers and no mention of Tez Johnson? Come on man! He will be the most exciting WR we have this year. Not worried about these boys at all. I’m more worried about consistency, focus and accuracy from the guy tasked with getting them the ball.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:34 am
PREDICTION: J-Mac has a breakout year.
He gets open, Baker finds him, and he has the best hands on the team.
800-1000 yards
June 26th, 2026 at 11:59 am
The beautiful thing about Macmillan is his ability to get open in man coverage. He’s excellent at doing it- probably the best on the team. It’s because of that he will stay on the field a lot and see a greatly expanded role and opportunities.
June 26th, 2026 at 12:07 pm
Note to Baker: throw deep to MacMillan vs. man, intermediate to Egbuka or Godwin vs. zone. That formula will work a lot all year.
June 26th, 2026 at 12:29 pm
I agree with SlyPirate
J-Mac is hungry and probably feels dissed with all the EE smoke and his being left out of the conversation. I see him as possibly our most versatile and possibly best WR.
June 26th, 2026 at 12:44 pm
@ Allen Lofton – Absolutely Absurd to call HURST a “Mike Evans” CLONE. It’s just so ridiculous, on SO MANY levels. It’s just not even close and they look nothing alike. GUARANTEED you didn’t WATCH either one of them play college, or YOU wouldn’t be saying such NONSENSE. I mean, dude hasn’t even put HIS PADS on yet!!!! And, yeah… I guess, we have a LOADED ‘Running’Back’ room too, with Bucky, Tucker, & Gainwell. I literally, almost LOL’ed in ‘real-time’ by the time I’d typed the “G” in Gainwell.
June 26th, 2026 at 1:59 pm
Hodad Says: “Steep learning curve for Hurst? I’m not to sure. They said the same thing about a small school receiver out of Marshall. I believe his name was Randy Moss.”
Ummmm, NOPE. Wrong once again, Dad. RANDY MOSS was NOT some “small school” WR. HE was BOTH, Mr. Football AND Mr. Basketball in the state of West Virginia (could’ve played in THE NBA had he wanted). And, HE signed with his childhood ‘favorite’ program… NOTRE DAME. Long story short… He was ‘kicked-out’ of school, and THEN committed to Bobby Bowden at FLORIDA STATE. Anyway, he got thrown in the clink, and then run outta FSU. He was entirely OUT of ‘options’ by then… So, he enrolled at his hometown school, MARSHALL. So, NO. Randy Freaking MOSS was absolutely NOT this “small school” guy. That’s just CRAZY TALK. Or, not knowing about all the details. I’m pretty sure that I have told YOU about all of THIS before, but you continue repeating the exact SAME BS.
June 26th, 2026 at 2:04 pm
I agree by design, our “Big Three” may not be that big, but I think that ignores how this offensive roster was built with incredible depth. 5 deep at receiver and 3 deep at running back. It would appear the plan this year is to spread touches and snaps, allowing us to play to who is producing and reduce wear/tear over the season. While no 3 may emerge, it may better position us to be more rest to injury and create issues for Def coordinators in figuring out who/how to stop our offense on a weekly basis. All this assumes Zac Robinson succeeding as the off coordinator.
June 26th, 2026 at 2:14 pm
And. HE. DOMINATED. He was a 1st-Round PICK, and a Heisman Candidate. EVERYONE in the entire country KNEW “Randy Freaking Moss.” HURST!? Come on, now! It’s not even CLOSE to being the same thing.
June 26th, 2026 at 2:27 pm
PREDICTION: The floormatt will keep the hopium in full supply even when Bowles orchestrates another long sustained losing streak in 2026.
This guy thinks Bowles is a GREAT coach. Wow man. Just wow.
Pass that thing over this way so I can have a couple puffs.
I’ll probably start hallucinating and call the Bowles defense rock solid.
June 26th, 2026 at 3:08 pm
“And. HE. DOMINATED. He was a 1st-Round PICK, and a Heisman Candidate.”
Was so good he got Chad Pennington drafted
June 26th, 2026 at 3:19 pm
If the online is on point that alone will make the unit top 15. Coaching matters, and if there’s an improvement there we’re talking top 10.
June 26th, 2026 at 4:13 pm
@ HoyaBuc Says: “5 deep at receiver and 3 deep at running back.”
You are aware that almost EVERY TEAM in the NFL carries at least 5-WR’s and 3-RB’s deep, right!? Our ‘running backs’ are below average. We are lacking a legit ELITE, true #1-WR at the moment. You CAN’T say that “Tez and Hurst” are ANY better than ANYONE ELSE’s #4 and #5’s, either. Every team has “guys” who can PLAY. It just depends on YOUR definition of “DEEP,” I suppose.
According to Mr. Barnwell here, HIS ‘definition’ of the Bucs (WR/RB/TE) Depth… Is the 22ND-ranked group in the entire league, out of 32-TEAMS. I wouldn’t call that as being very “DEEP,” myself. It’s basically, BOTTOM-10. I have them as a BOTTOM-5 TEAM in the NFC. So, Barnwell and I are obviously, not very far apart with our thinking! Actually, we are in lockstep. Since, HE has the Bucs Offensive ‘Skill-Position’ Players, as the 4TH-WORST Group in the NFC.
Wonder what’ll be up NEXT… DEFENSES!? QUARTERBACKS!? Oh, No… Wonder WHERE He’ll Have Ol’ Bake!? Special Teams… Will HE even mess with Kickers & Punters!? THEN, His Final Overall TEAM Rankings!? There’s plenty enough time for it, that’s for sure!!!!