There are sadly a lot of reasons to be pessimistic about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right now. Legendary linebacker Lavonte David just retired, and another Buccaneers legend, Mike Evans, said he would rather play for the San Francisco 49ers than cast his lot with the Bucs. Other key impending free agents did the same, like defensive starters Logan Hall and Jamel Dean, who was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFC last season.
So a defense that was already terrible last season got even worse, and the architect of it, head coach Todd Bowles, kept his job even though it seems like a lot of the star players who left did so because they did not believe in his ability to get this team to truly compete at a playoff level following last season's historic collapse.
But if there is one specific reason for optimism next season, then it just might be Emeka Egbuka. When Jason Licht and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft him in the first round last year despite having bigger needs, they probably did so with a thought in the back of their minds that Egbuka could be the heir to Evans's throne.
Emeka Egbuka is the man
The Ohio State Wide Receiver U standout had an up and down rookie season, and even though those downs led to some rowdy fans declaring him a disappointment, pretty much every legitimate analyst and reasonably level headed fan thought that Egbuka had an exceptionally good rookie season at the wide receiver position, especially considering all the tumult around him.
There is a high correlation between a rookie wideout's yardage total in their opening season and their role and success in subsequent campaigns. Well, people can pick apart a few drops all they want and ignore Baker Mayfield consistently missing him while playing through injury, but Egbuka, through it all, still had 938 receiving yards last season on 63 catches for an average of 55 yards per game.
Emeka Egbuka will be the No. 2 wide receiver as part of a deep group of pass catchers next season. Mike Evans is gone, sure, but Chris Godwin is a strong 1-2 punch for Egbuka to work with. Cade Otton is back, Kenny Gainwell is an insanely valuable pass catcher to have out of the backfield, and Tez Johnson and Jalen McMillan are two more X Factors for this offense.
Right now, Egbuka is as sure of a bet as anyone to be a breakout superstar in Year 2 next season, and it would be a shock if he didn't clear 1,000 yards and flirt with 1,200. He could even become the No. 1 guy with an offseason with Mayfield, more experience, a more stable situation on offense, and a better rapport with the offense.