Emeka Egbuka will command more attention with Mike Evans gone. Is he ready?

The news came in a text message from quarterback Baker Mayfield, a day before the rest of the world learned that Mike Evans was leaving the Bucs to sign with the 49ers.

Emeka Egbuka knew what that meant. For the first time in 12 years, the Bucs would have a new No. 1 target.

The Bucs' all-time leading receiver is no longer in the building at One Buc Place, yet he is everywhere.

There is the 80-foot mural of Evans on the northeast corner of Raymond James Stadium. Pictures of some of his greatest catches still line the walls inside the team's training facility.

Egbuka, the first-round pick from Ohio State in 2025, said he felt fortunate to play with Evans for one season even though the veteran was injured much of it. Evans battled a hamstring issue before breaking his collarbone and wound up missing nine games. He finished with a career-low 30 receptions for 368 yards and three touchdowns.

Even so, Egbuka benefitted from the lessons learned from Evans, most of them not spoken but observed.

"Just that killer instinct, that mentality that he has, that he carries into every game. He just has a supreme sense of confidence in his ability and who he is," Egbuka said. "Obviously, we play a lot of big-name people. People line up across from him and see Mike Evans but he can line up on the other side and see Patrick Surtain, Jaycee Horn - all these guys.

"But he never lets that faze him and he plays his brand of ball, his style of ball every single down, every single snap and he gives it his all. I think it was really less what he said to me and more about how he played the game and how he prepared."

The question for the Bucs now is how prepared they are to play, and win, without Evans?

Up-and-down rookie year

The arrival of Egbuka may have slightly influenced Evans' decision to leave the Bucs.

But Tampa Bay is well-stocked at receiver.

Chris Godwin returns for his 10th season, though he has battled horrific injuries such as the dislocated ankle he sustained in 2024.

Jalen McMillan, a third-round draftee in 2024, fractured his neck making a catch in the first preseason game against Pittsburgh last year. He played in the final four games, which included a seven-catch, 114-yard performance at Miami.

Tez Johnson, a seventh-round pick from Oregon, backflipped his way to five touchdowns as a rookie. The Bucs added Georgia State's Ted Hurst, a true X-receiver like Evans, from the third round of this year's draft. David Sills followed new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from Atlanta.

So, yes, the receiver room will look different.

"We've got a lot of guys who are ready to carry torch and do what's required," Egbuka said.

Egbuka caught fire to start his rookie season. Through the first five games, he had 445 yards receiving and five touchdowns. The Bucs were 5-0 and Egbuka was an early favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

But injuries took their toll and the Bucs' hot start became a bleak streak. With Evans out, Egbuka drew more attention - cloud coverage and double teams.

Outside of a 115-yard, one-touchdown performance in a loss to New England, Egbuka averaged just 34.4 receiving yards per game the rest of the year. He had eight drops during the season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Mayfield struggled protecting the football, throwing 10 interceptions in the final 11 games as the Bucs went 3-8 in that span.

"I need to do a better job of catching and getting open. There's probably throws that Baker wishes he had back. Blocks the O-line wishes they had back," Egbuka said. "Obviously, we're trying to pick up all the pieces and figure out where we went wrong. We brought (in) some new staff. So we're looking forward to kind of honing and fixing those mistakes going forward."

Life without Mike

Egbuka expects an uptick in his production this season, not unlike his sophomore year at Ohio State when he exploded for 74 receptions for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He's also settling into the community here. This offseason, he worked with USAA to make hurricane preparedness kits. Egbuka's grandfather was a Navy Seal. From the ages of 6 to 12, his father was an active-duty soldier stationed in Germany.

"There's definitely a new sense of comfort that you have," Egbuka said. "A sense of confidence that you've done this before, you know how to do it and you can just trust in your ability and go out there and execute."

As a rookie, Egbuka was tasked with playing all four receiver positions. He'll settle in at the Z spot, commonly known as the flanker and stationed on the same side of the field as the tight end.

"Mek, just getting to know him, it's incredible. I keep throwing the word ‘intentional' but that's him to a T," said Robinson, the new OC. "The amount of work and preparation he puts into it, similar to Cooper Kupp in terms of the way his brain works in the game of football and the natural instincts. He doesn't have to change a thing. He's played a ton of snaps. I think Mek is going to take huge strides."

Can he be like Mike? It's an unfair comparison to a future Pro Football Hall of Fame player but Egbuka is the Bucs' next rising star at receiver.

"Nobody is feeling like they've got to come in here and try to be Mike," receivers coach Bryan McClendon said. "... The good thing is, we're very fortunate in terms of guys having been at that position before. We played a lot of games without Mike these past couple seasons.

"We got a really good group in terms of people. Just their approach every single day, just how to come in, taking responsibility knowing what to do and how to do it. Maximizing every walk-through. Those guys already have good habits built in. But understand it may look a little bit different."

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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 5:51 AM.