The Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield are holding their breath on the shape of their team as Week 1 is less than a month away.
Head coach Todd Bowles delivered some potentially concerning news about WRs Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan and their availability for the Bucs’ first real game at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. Bowles categorized both as “day-to-day, week-to-week” and wouldn’t say whether he thought they could be ready by the regular season.
Egbuka has a toe sprain he suffered in the team’s joint practice with the New York Jets. Bowles said he’s “not sure at this time” if the injury will keep him out for the opener.
The Bucs received some good news to one element of the offense on Monday. All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who injured his hamstring during his conditioning just prior to camp, has started practicing again.
But this is also not the way Mayfield wanted to start his season, wondering whether he’ll have anything close to a full complement of receivers. Nor is it what Bowles, currently also dealing with Vita Vea’s hold-in, wanted to hear entering a season in which he could be coaching for his job.
How serious is Emeka Egbuka’s toe injury?
Right now, the Buccaneers are calling Egbuka’s injury a “toe sprain,” and not a turf toe injury.
A sprain is a less severe injury, and a less precise one, too – and that might be the point. The two injuries might have some overlap, but the turf toe designation also relates to damage done to the MTP (metatarsophalangeal) joint, which is basically the foot’s version of a knuckle, where the toe connects to the rest of the foot.
So a garden-variety toe sprain, depending on the severity, might cause a player to miss one to three weeks. For instance, Commanders WR Terry McLaurin suffered a big-toe sprain, which was described then as a lower-grade injury, on Aug. 21 prior to the 2023 regular season. Twenty days later he started in Week 1 and played 88% of the snaps in Washington’s 20-16 win. He played all 17 games and led the Commanders in every major receiving category.
If that’s what Egbuka has, then he should be in great shape. He reportedly suffered the injury more than a month out from Sept. 13, when the Bucs will travel to Cincinnati.
But if there is concern about a turf toe injury for Egbuka, it’s a different story. Turf toes are potentially much more serious – and almost always require a longer shelf time. It’s not just pain; the injury can hinder his ability to run, cut, plant and accelerate. When then-Packers WR Davante Adams suffered a turf toe injury midway through the 2019 season, he missed four games and returned after a 38-day absence.
If that’s what Egbuka has, you can see why Week 1 would be in doubt, less than four weeks away from the opener. To be clear: The Buccaneers have not called it a turf toe injury for Egbuka. It’s possible Bowles is just being coy, the team is just being extra cautious or perhaps they’re simply keeping the drama alive for the Bengals and Egbuka’s fantasy owners.
But until there’s clarity on the injury, and just how severe that sprain is, it’s a concern.
The state of the Bucs’ WR room
Egbuka appeared poised to be Mayfield’s top target this season, and that very well still could be the case. Coming off a promising rookie season, Egbuka had plenty of moments where he looked like a potential WR1 early on.
Egbuka opened the season with a two-TD performance, and in the first five games, he was on a mini-heater: 25 catches for 445 yards (17.8-yard average) and five TDs. But he wasn’t quite the same after a hamstring injury in Week 6 against the 49ers, catching only one TD in the final eight games. Drops were also a problem at times.
Still, after the loss of Mike Evans, who left for the 49ers this offseason, the expectations were elevated for Egbuka. He, Chris Godwin and McMillan were expected to be the top three receivers in what could be a crucial season for Mayfield. Now only Godwin – whose career has been defined by injuries – is the only one currently considered healthy, and he’s missed more games than he’s played the past two seasons.
No one has more on the line for the Bucs this season than Mayfield, perhaps save for Bowles, who could be a hot-seat candidate if things continue going sideways. Mayfield has closed down contract talks for now, and he’s trying to make the best of his situation heading into the final year of his deal. But with the team’s less-concerning positions starting to become worries, it’s easy to wonder if Mayfield will be able to play his very best and land the payday he seeks.
Prior to camp, receiver felt like a position mostly set in stone. Rookie Ted Hurst, who has reportedly had some eye-opening moments, figured to vie for the WR4 role. Tez Johnson looked poised to reprise the splash-play role he earned as a rookie. Now both might be moved up the ladder a peg or two, depending on the other injuries. Perhaps an unheralded camp standout at receiver, such as Garrett Greene or Dean Patterson, could fill a spot for a week or two, but it would thin the unit out considerably.
TE Cade Otton, who was second on the team in targets behind Egbuka last season, is back, and new RB Kenneth Gainwell has quickly earned a reputation as one of the league's better receiving backs. So there are receiving options. But without Egbuka (or with him limited), the Bucs will be lacking intermediate-zone targets, and he can win from the outside or the slot.
The Bucs had better hope his injury is more like McLaurin’s and less like Adams’ was.