After a dominant start to the season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka has slowed down considerably as 2025 comes to a close.
Now with the NFC South on the line and the Buccaneers taking on the Carolina Panthers for the first time in three weeks, the rookie has been nonexistent in the huge matchup. Is Egbuka injured? Did the rookie get benched? Here’s everything to know about his status.
What Happened to Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka
No, Egbuka is not hurt, and, despite getting banged up a bit this season, he’s one of the few Tampa Bay wide receivers who have played in all 14 games for the Buccaneers heading into Week 16. He leads the Buccaneers with 58 receptions on 117 targets for 870 yards and six touchdowns. Yet, he’s struggled to get going against the Panthers.
Through three quarters, Egbuka has been held without a catch and has only been targeted by quarterback Baker Mayfield once. Then again, the passing offense as a whole has struggled against Carolina in Week 16, with Mayfield completing 11 of 15 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown heading into the fourth quarter.
Egbuka has filled in valiantly for the Buccaneers as they endured quite some time without the full force of their offense. While veteran WR Mike Evans started the season healthy, a broken collarbone in Week 7 forced him to miss five weeks. Additionally, fellow veteran Chris Godwin would not return until Week 12.
MORE: 3-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft
Now with Jalen McMillan back as well, Egbuka finds himself in a very crowded wide receiver room. It’s clear he has the talent, but so do the rest of the pass catchers for Tampa Bay as well. The late-season struggles have seen him plummet down PFSN’s WR Impact metric rankings, coming in as the 41st-ranked wide receiver with an impact score of 75.4.
Bryce to T-Mac for the lead before halftime!
TBvsCAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/t6dXRgtlgD
— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2025
It’s also not a great look that while Egbuka is in the midst of his lows during his rookie campaign, Panthers rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan is continuing his impressive season with a massive game against the Buccaneers. McMillan has been targeted ten times by Carolina QB Bryce Young, catching six for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Playing in all 14 games for the Panthers this season, McMillan has caught 59 of 102 targets for 851 yards and six touchdowns. He’s given Carolina a serious physical threat in the passing game as they continue to try to surround Young with solid weapons to develop the offense.
Mayfield finally found Egbuka late in the fourth quarter for the longest play of the day for either squad, hitting the rookie for a 40-yard gain. Still, the drive would stall as the Buccaneers’ offense continued to struggle against Carolina’s pass rush. It’s good to see Egbuka get a catch, but was the connection too little too late?
