Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka is ready to take the torch from Mike Evans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were left heartbroken this offseason when Mike Evans made the decision to leave and sign with the San Francisco 49ers.

It leaves the Bucs with a massive hole not only in on-field production, but in leadership as well. It won’t be easy to replace a future Hall of Famer that spent 12 years with the franchise, but the Bucs have the right pieces in place in the wide receiver room. 

Emeka Egbuka is ready to step up for Buccaneers in second season

Emeka Egbuka, the team’s first-round pick last year, is eager to step up into a leadership role for the Buccaneers to help fill the void left by Evans.

“Obviously, I think there’s a passing of the torch that needs to be received by someone,” Egbuka said on Up & Adams . “They’ve done a great job of bringing guys in who are up to the task. They drafted me last year, but we have Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, and we have a bunch of guys who are ready to make an impact.”

Egbuka talked about his leadership skills, and how that was actually a key factor driving the Bucs’ interest in him as a prospect. Egbuka had served as a team captain at Ohio State, along with every football team he’s been a part of. 

“I think [leadership] is something that’s always come very natural to me. I remember just in draft prep when the Bucs were evaluating me, that was something they put a lot of high emphasis on was me being a leader and stepping into leadership roles.”

Egbuka is coming off a strong rookie season where he caught 63 passes for 938 yards and six touchdowns. There is even more pressure on him now after Mike Evans’ departure to take the next step in his second season and continue to perform like a first-round pick.

Egbuka has zero doubts that he’s built for this moment, and he’s ready to rise to the occasion for the Buccaneers as a centerpiece of the offense and a trusted target for Baker Mayfield . 

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