Emeka Egbuka injury update: Buccaneers star WR to play vs. Lions

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) are expecting rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) to suit up and play in Monday’s Week 7 road game against the Detroit Lions (4-2). According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, a pregame workout went well and Egbuka is a go as a result.

Egbuka, the 2025 first-round pick out of Ohio State, was considered a long shot to play after sustaining the injury in the Buccaneers’ win over the San Francisco 49ers (5-2) this past Sunday. Egbuka did not play in the second half, exiting the game with two catches for 24 yards.

But then, Egbuka returned to practice on Saturday. Head coach Todd Bowles said it was “possible” for Egbuka to play in Detroit.

“It’s possible. It’s not definite,” Bowles said. “It’s gonna go all the way up until game time. He wants to play, but that depends on how he feels and how he looks.”

Buccaneers will have Emeka Egbuka vs. Lions

Egbuka being good to play is good news for the Buccaneers, who are going up against a depleted Lions secondary. When he’s been in the lineup, Egbuka has looked like the frontrunner for the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.

Egbuka has 27 receptions for 469 yards and five touchdowns. After the Week 5 win over the Seattle Seahawks (4-2), he became the first player in league history with 25 plus receptions, 400 plus receiving yards and five plus receiving touchdowns through his first five career games.

In addition to Egbuka, the Buccaneers will have veteran wideout Mike Evans on Monday. The 32-year-old is going to play after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury of his own. Tampa Bay’s offense hasn’t skipped a beat without Evans in the lineup. Still, Bowles knows how important it is to have the perennial 1,000-yard pass-catcher on the field.

“He draws a double-team,” Bowles said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN. “It helps the run game, No. 1, because it keeps a safety out of the box plus another corner out of the box. Obviously, he’s our go-to guy when he is healthy. Because of his size, his height, his intelligence to adjust off of routes and everything else — every little thing he does causes a problem for the other team, and it makes our other guys better.”