Tampa Bay rookie Emeka Egbuka’s hot start faded late, costing him Offensive Rookie of the Year as Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan claimed the NFL Honors award.
Tampa Bay rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka had a breakout season in his first season, but a severe drop off in production over the second half of the season cost the former Ohio State standout the Buccaneers’ third Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
During the 15th Annual NFL Honors on Feb. 5 in San Francisco, Carolina Panther Tetairoa McMillian took home this year’s OROY award after finishing his rookie season with 70 receptions, 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns.
Egbuka’s first half performance made him the early season favorite for the annual award after racking up 40 receptions for 677 yards and six touchdowns in his first nine games. During that span he averaged 8.4 targets per game, averaged 16.9 yards per catch and had more than 100 yards in three games. Egbuka’s best game came in Week 5 in a 38-35 win against the Seattle Seahawks when he caught all seven of his targets for 163 yards and a touchdown.
However, Egbuka’s last good game of the season would come in a Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots. The 28-23 loss would be the last game he would have more than 100 yards receiving and the last time he would have a receiving touchdown on the season. After the loss to the Patriots, the Buccaneers would go on to lose six of the next seven games and Egbuka’s first-half production that cemented him as a OROY finalist dried up.
In his final eight games of the season Egbuka had his targets drop to 6.3 per game and had just 23 receptions for 261 yards (11.3 yards per catch) and zero touchdowns. On the season the first-round 2024 draft pick (No. 19 overall) finished with 63 receptions for 938 yards and six touchdowns, with a success rate of 40.9 percent and a 49.6 percent catch rate.
The Buccaneers are hoping new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson can recreate Egbuka’s first half success in 2026. At his introductory press conference in January, the former Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator said, “He’s an unbelievable player” and that he was a fan of the 23-year-old’s ability to run multiple routes and run after the catch.
Along with McMillan and Egbuka, Jaxon Dart (New York Giants), Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints) and TreVeyon Henderson (New England Patriots) were also finalists. Two Buccaneers have previously won the OROY award, Warrick Dunn in 1997 and Cadillac Williams in 2005.
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