Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka has been on the field on Thursday night as the Buccaneers host the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Baker Mayfield has been targeting his receivers downfield, and Egbuka has been active. However, he hasn’t made many notable contributions so far.
What’s Happening With Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka?
In the first half, Mayfield hit wide receiver Jalen McMillan downfield for a pass that put Tampa Bay at the 1-yard line. Vita Vea checked in to help block, and Sean Tucker took the ball in for the Buccaneers’ touchdown.
As for Egbuka, he has two catches for 35 yards while being targeted four times, second only to teammate Mike Evans, who has been targeted seven times late in the second quarter.
At halftime, the Falcons held a 14-13 lead over Tampa Bay as Atlanta scored a late touchdown in the second quarter. The Buccaneers added a field goal with time running out at halftime.
Vita Vea leading the way for 6️⃣
📺: #ATLvsTB on Prime Video pic.twitter.com/rga3wvgnch
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 12, 2025
Right now, Egbuka is getting a lot more competition for snaps and targets with a full complement of Buccaneers’ wide receivers like Evans, Chris Godwin, McMillan, and Bucky Irving all pretty healthy.
For the season, Egbuka, who was Tampa Bay’s first-round draft pick (No. 19 overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft, has 54 catches for 806 yards and six touchdown receptions. Egbuka is averaging 14.9 yards per reception.
MORE: 3-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft
According to the PFSN NFL WR Impact metrics, Egbuka has an impact score of 74.7 and grades out to a C. Entering Thursday night’s game against the Falcons, Egbuka had been targeted 110 times so far this season.
Compare Egbuka’s impact score to those of Evans, who has an impact score of 68.3 and grades out to a D+, and Godwin, who has an impact score of 67.5 and also grades out to a D+. Evans has missed time due to injuries, so Egbuka has been able to make up for his absence.
Going into the second half, Egbuka might get more targets. Yet there is a bevy of healthy receivers to pick from against Atlanta. Mayfield will look and see who is open downfield, and maybe Egbuka gets a few more targets as the Buccaneers look to rally.
Tampa Bay needs the victory as it is 7-6 entering Thursday night’s game, tied with the Carolina Panthers atop the NFC South Division.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
