Tampa Bay’s offense is heading into Week 7 short-handed, and the biggest absence is Emeka Egbuka.
The Buccaneers have ruled out the wideout for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers because of a foot injury and a concussion. Egbuka had been Tampa Bay’s top receiver this season, so his absence leaves a noticeable hole for a team trying to keep pace in the NFC South.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield is set to return after missing the last three games with a dislocated thumb suffered in Week 3, but he won’t have Egbuka available to work with. That matters for an offense already off to a 1-5 start and sitting multiple games behind Carolina in the division.
Egbuka’s production through six games has been steady: 28 catches on 49 targets for 240 yards and two touchdowns. He has also run the ball twice for 11 yards and another score. His role has been enormous, too, as he’s been on the field for 85.8 percent of Tampa Bay’s offensive snaps in 2026.
With him sidelined, the Buccaneers will lean on Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving, Cade Otton and others to absorb the missing production.
Irving, in particular, looks positioned for a bigger role. Carolina has been vulnerable on the ground, allowing 5.1 yards per carry, which is the worst mark in the league, and the Panthers also rank 24th in EPA/Rush.
That lines up well for a back who has picked up steam lately. Irving has logged 40 carries and four receptions over his last two games, and he averaged 4.7 yards per carry overall. He has only gone over this line in three of six games this season, but two of those came with Mayfield at quarterback.
Mayfield’s return also matters in the passing game. He targeted Irving 15 times over the first three weeks, but since then Irving has seen just six total targets. With Egbuka out and Mayfield back under center, Irving could be in line for a larger workload as a receiver, too.
He was on the field for a season-high 85.1 percent of Tampa Bay’s snaps in Week 6, and with the Bucs thin on playmakers, the matchup gives him a chance to handle plenty of the offensive load against Carolina.
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