TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka suffered a hamstring injury against the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s 30-19 win and was ruled out.
Egbuka, the Bucs’ 19th overall draft pick, had 445 receiving yards entering Sunday’s game — fourth-most in the league. His five touchdowns were tied for second-most in the league.
After the game, Bucs coach Todd Bowles did not have an update beyond saying Egbuka was still being evaluated.
Egbuka’s loss left quarterback Baker Mayfield — whom many have dubbed as an early MVP candidate — even more short-handed in the passing game on Sunday. But then moments after the announcement that Egbuka was out, Mayfield avoided a sack for a 15-yard scramble on third-and-14 and connected with rookie Tez Johnson on a diving 45-yard touchdown to make it 27-19 heading into the fourth quarter.
“I mean it was huge,” Bowles said of the plays. “Every time something happens [that is] negative, he makes it a positive and he does something to give everybody hope and that run was one of them.”
The Bucs are already without wide receiver Mike Evans, who has missed three games with a hamstring strain. Then Chris Godwin suffered a fibula injury two games after returning from ankle surgery. This also marked the second missed game for running back Bucky Irving, who is dealing with a foot sprain and a shoulder subluxation.
Wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who suffered a neck sprain in the second preseason game, is on injured reserve, but the hope is he can return after the Bucs’ Week 9 bye.
Evans has not returned to practice yet, but his initial projected timeline for recovery was three to four weeks, meaning he could potentially return next week against the Detroit Lions. Coach Todd Bowles said Godwin’s injury is “week-to-week.”
“I truly genuinely trust the guys that are in there,” Mayfield said. “They’re ready. We talk throughout the week. Guys are on the same page and that’s real. I trust these guys, even though some of them might not have played a whole lot of ball, but if we’re on the same page, good things happen.
“You don’t have to have the perfect play when all your guys are fighting for each other and are on the same page and that’s an example of that.”
