The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be 5-1, but the team cannot afford to lose another wide receiver. During their victory against the San Francisco 49ers, the team lost star rookie Emeka Egbuka to a hamstring injury.
Egbuka suffered the injury in a quieter way, as the telecast announced that he was doubtful to return in the fourth quarter. This is a huge hit to an already depleted wide receiver room.
With Egbuka injured, he now joins Mike Evans, who has a hamstring injury of his own and has not played since Week 3, and Chris Godwin, who is out due to a fibula injury.
It has not yet been confirmed just how long Egbuka will be out, but NFL insider Ian Rapoport has indicated that he will
“miss some time.”
“All of Baker’s targets, it seems, are out. You can add Emeka Egbuka to that list. He is dealing with a hamstring injury. He is going to get an MRI today. It does not seem to be that serious, but I expect him to miss some time.” Rapoport said.
The good news is Rapoport indicated that it may not be as serious as Evans’ hamstring injury, so the dynamic rookie may only miss one or two more games.
Egbuka is set for an MRI, will will determine how long he will be out. The good news is Rapoport also indicated that Evans will start preparing to make his return to the field, but Godwin is more on a “week-to-week” basis.
With so many receivers injured on this Buccaneers team, Mayfield and the offense will now rely on younger talent. Sterling Shepard, Tez Johnson, Ryan Miller, and Kameron Johnson are the remaining healthy targets for the offense.
All were on display in the Week 6 win, as Johnston came down with 64 yards and a touchdown, Shepard brought in 52 yards, and Johnson brought in 45 yards and a touchdown.
This Buccaneers team is tough and Mayfield has reenergized the team into gritty winners. They may be just fine without Egbuka, but the team does need reinforcements on the wide receiver front.
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