Taking heat off Emeka Egbuka.

So, what really happened with Emeka Egbuka after the bye?

The Bucs rookie receiver looked like a lock for Offensive Rookie of the Year as he exploded out of the gate as the Bucs jumped out to a 6-2 record.

Then, two things happened as a possible cause-and-effect: Someone let the air out of the balloon of Egbuka and the Bucs offense went into a dramatic tailspin.

Ben Solak of BSPN is convinced that Egbuka was damaged goods as NextGen Stats showed his speed never recovered after a hamstring injury.

Noted handicapper-turned-stathead Warren Sharp in his Warren Sharp’s 2026 Football Preview doesn’t fully disagree with Solak’s theory. But Sharp seems to think it was a combination of factors, including Mike Evans and Chris Godwin’s injuries, Egbuka’s nagging hamstring and that defenses began keying on Egbuka.

The Bucs already knew they would likely be without Chris Godwin after his nasty 2024 dislocated ankle/fractured fibula (plus a surprise second offseason surgery). He sat out the first three weeks, making his 2025 debut in Week 4 with an 80% snap share. He suited up on October 5 (Week 5) against Seattle before a new fibula injury surfaced. He then missed five games with the fibula injury (Weeks 6-11) and returned against the Rams in Week 12, easing back in on 23 of a possible 70 snaps. From there, he stayed healthy and played out the rest of the season.

Without Godwin, Emeka Egbuka was a ray of sunshine to start the season. He caught a game-winning touchdown with 59 seconds left in his very first NFL game and became an immediate waiver wire add if available in every fantasy football league. He progressively increased his yardage totals, with 85 in Week 3, 101 in Week 4, and 163 in Week 5. Through five games, he had 25 catches for 445 yards and 5 touchdowns and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for September.

But a hamstring injury in Week 6 lingered for weeks even as Egbuka kept playing. With Evans and Godwin out, defenses tilted coverage toward the rookie, and the production cratered. After that electric start, Egbuka topped 64 receiving yards just once over his final 12 games and did not score a single touchdown over the final eight games.

Todd Bowles and other Bucs types recoil at the idea that injuries doomed the Bucs in 2025. And they’re right. Good teams don’t choke away a critical game against the tanking Dolphins, starting a seventh-round pick of a rookie in his second start. Winning that game sends the Bucs to the playoffs.

But as Sharp points out, you cannot dismiss injuries since injuries wiped out everyone at some point on the Bucs’ offense with the exception of Graham Barton.

(No, Baker Mayfield didn’t miss a start but after the season, word began leaking how badly he was hurt and likely should have sat a game or two. Good thing the Bucs signed a high school coach to back up Mayfield.)

The injuries weren’t an excuse. After all, the Bucs beat the Seahawks and 49ers without both Evans and Irving, but they were a problem.

And expecting Rachaad White to replace the spark Irving brought in 2024 when healthy was not reasonable.

Well, Joe thinks the most important thing for the Bucs to dominate this year isn’t sacks from the edge (shocker!) or forced turnovers or X-amount of touchdown catches from receivers or 800+ yards from both Kenneth Gainwell and Bucky Irving.

No, Joe thinks you can sum up the most important goal for the Bucs this year can be whittled down to one word.

“Health.”