The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense is in a transition period this season after team legend Mike Evans decided to leave the franchise for another NFC playoff contender in the San Francisco 49ers, where he will catch passes from Brock Purdy instead of Baker Mayfield.
Not only does Evans' exit subtly give Mayfield even more motivation to have an MVP caliber season for the full season, instead of just about half of it like last year, but it also gives a lot of motivation to the Buccaneers receivers to step up with him gone.
Emeka Egbuka will want to prove he is a top receiver in the league after a great rookie year, Chris Godwin will want to prove he can be healthy and step up to the No. 1 role as the veteran in the Buccaneers wide receiver room, and even Tez Johnson an Jalen McMillan have huge opportunities in the Bucs offense this year.
Ted Hurst can be the guy for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
But the real dark horse in the building is rookie wide receiver Ted Hurst, a third-round pick out of Georgia State with an amazing size and speed combination who is already outshining everyone this offseason, proving he is far more than just a build of great athletic traits.
And now with Emeka Egbuka down for the count and Todd Bowles unclear on when the Ohio State grad will return from this toe injury - and toe injuries can be quite tricky - Hurst has a massive opportunity to step up and be the face of the Buccaneers offense.
Not only will Hurst get more reps as one of the top two wide receivers alongside Chris Godwin in this high flying Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Zac Robinson calling the plays and Baker Mayfield executing them under center, but should Egbuka's injury bleed into the 2026 NFL regular season, then Ted Hurst will be a starter on Week 1 against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals' own amazing offense.
It is a lot to put on a rookie receiver's plate, as Egbuka can attest, but if you take away draft stock, pedigree, and the school they went to, what Hurst has done so far in the 2026 NFL offseason is as impressive as anything Egbuka was doing in his first offseason as a pro. A direct preseason comparison is misleading, of course, but it shows that Hurst has a big opportunity and is fully capable of taking the reigns.
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