Those who watched Thursday Night Football between the 49ers and Rams were reminded of Mike Evans’ impact. It also confirmed the reality the Bucs face entering Week 1: they have to approach things differently with a younger wide receiver corps.

Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson spoke more about where the group stands on Thursday afternoon, sharing his thoughts on rookie Ted Hurst, second- and third-year wideouts Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan, and 10-year vet Chris Godwin Jr.

Ted Hurst III Has Caught On Quickly, But How Much Will He Play Early On?

Starting with Ted Hurst III, the Bucs’ third-round pick played more than expected during training camp and the preseason. With Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, and David Sills V each missing a handful of practices due to injury, and with Chris Godwin Jr. having rest days, Hurst was quarterback Baker Mayfield’s No. 1 target for much of the summer.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and WR Ted Hurst III – Photo by: Kat Beutel/PR

That has raised the question of how much the 6-foot-4 wide receiver will be involved within the offense. Zac Robinson did not brush off the notion he will log significant playing time as soon as the season opener.

“We’ll see where he’s at,” Robinson said. “Obviously, when the lights are on, that’s when it’ll count. But he’s shown that, from his college days to now, I mean, he just goes out and plays, and nothing is too big no matter who he’s matched up with, whether it’s against our defense or some of the guys in the [New York] Jets game [when] he was playing against some of their starters… So, you know, it’ll be interesting to see just how everything plays out with him.”

Grasping the offense has not been difficult for Hurst. With Godwin, Egbuka, and McMillan all working toward suiting up, it will be interesting how Robinson utilizes the team’s tallest receiver. Hurst has shown the ability to make tough catches, making him a logical fit to at least line up on third-down and red-zone situations.

Much will be revealed on Sunday, including how he fits in the pass game.

“He’s done an outstanding job from a mental standpoint,” Robinson added. “That’s always the unknown is just, all right, how much can these guys absorb in a short amount of time? It’s a lot of verbiage. It’s a lot of new stuff… He’s doing a great job. It’s great that Baker [Mayfield] got a bunch of reps with him to feel the movement and the different type of throws that you can activate with him out there. I’m excited for Ted, excited for all those guys, but he’s done an outstanding job all training camp up to now.”

Chris Godwin Jr. Has The Trust Of Zac Robinson And Baker Mayfield

Chris Godwin Jr. is the certified veteran of the room, with more experience than the rest of the Bucs wide receivers combined. Even though Godwin is 30 years old and twice removed from major injuries, Zac Robinson believes he had a great training camp.

“He’s a total stud, human being, football player,” Robinson said in praising Godwin. “I mean, you guys know ‘C.G..’ He’ll probably go down as one of my all-time favorite guys to be around and I’ve been around him just a short amount of time. So yeah, he means a lot to this organization clearly from his career here and his training camp was impressive, like seeing him come back from the injuries [and] where he’s at right now. He’s moving around great. He’s had a great training camp.”

Bucs WR Chris Godwin Jr. – Photo by: Adam Warren/PR

Godwin is coming off a 2025 season where he struggled ramping up from the start of the year. In nine games (six starts), he had 33 receptions for 360 yards. As one of the most resilient players in the NFL, “CG” will be out to prove himself once again.

“Obviously, Baker [Mayfield] has a ton of trust in him to throw in some tight windows and tight coverage,” Robinson said. “He’s got strong, aggressive hands, all those things. Then, the stuff that we haven’t been able to see is his ability with the ball in his hands to break tackles and do the things that he does. So yeah, I’ve been really impressed just with him as a person. He’s a lead-by-example [player], and then when he speaks up, guys listen for sure. He’s been awesome to just get to know. He had a great training camp. It’s fun to see him rolling.”

Zac Robinson: Jalen McMillan And Emeka Egbuka Are “Moving Around Great”

When it comes to Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka, each have experience under their belt — with mixed results. For McMillan, everyone knows things were trending upward last season until a scary neck injury set him back. He has dealt with several injuries in his young career, including a knee injury that has limited him as of late and has listed as doubtful for Sunday.

Yet when he is on the field, Zac Robinson envisions him being a playmaker.

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“The good thing is they have some experience,” Robinson said. “J-Mac,’ going into his third year, knowing the system [though it] has been tweaked and whatnot this season, but he’s a smart football player. It is hard to not play football. You need to play football to get better. I think a lot of that is just getting the reps again, getting their feet back under them, seeing the ball in tight windows and all the things that happen in those split seconds from an instinct standpoint. It takes a little bit of time to get that stuff back, but they’re moving around great and we’ll kind of see where we’re at.”

Egbuka is the other player Robinson alluded to in his response, as he has dealt with a toe sprain that has kept him out of action since the Bucs-Jets first joint practice. He has been a full participant during Wednesday and Thursday’s practices, putting him in position to play. After Egbuka shared how confident he is in taking a second-year jump, Robinson is ready to see what that leads to.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Emeka is just a really good football player. He’s been a great football player from the time [I was] studying him at Ohio State. You just saw somebody that was very instinctive. The skill set speaks for itself. Football makes sense to him. He knows the ins and outs of the scheme, [the] quarterback’s reads. I don’t know, he might know the run-blocking schemes better than most [wide] receivers do. [He] knows defenses, knows leverage, knows how to use leverage to his advantage. So, everything he does from a preparation standpoint sets him up to just go play free and play fast. That’s what’s been really cool to see with ‘Mek.’”

Yes, the Bucs wide receiver room has a different vibe around it in 2026. There is no replacing the totality of what Mike Evans provided the organization. Even with that in mind, there is a strong quartet of wide receivers with diverse skillsets Zac Robinson can gameplan around.