INTRO: The 4-1 Bucs have a big test on Sunday against the 4-1 49ers. Tampa Bay’s wide receivers – led by rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka – will try to take advantage of a young San Francisco secondary that is starting two rookies in nickelback Upton Stout and safety Marques Sigle. Bucs general manager Jason Licht has not only bolstered Tampa Bay’s receiver position for this season, but also drafted an entire receiving corps for the future.

Plus, a look at how many yards Mike Evans will need to produce when he returns from injury to once again hit 1,000 receiving yards. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Bucs Already Have Their Future WR Corps

Mike Evans is 32, is in his 12th season in Tampa Bay and sadly won’t play forever.

Chris Godwin is 29, coming off the most significant injury he’s ever suffered, and he’s so much closer to the end of his career than he is the start of it.

Evans and Godwin are the best two receivers in Bucs history and one of the NFL’s most effective one-two punches of all-time at the receiver position.

Replacing two Super Bowl champions and surefire Bucs Ring of Honor members – Evans will also be a first ballot Hall of Famer – would seem like a nearly impossible task to tackle in the future.

Yet Bucs general manager and draft guru Jason Licht has already done it – and way ahead of schedule.

Not only has Licht drafted a starting-caliber receiver in Emeka Egbuka for the future to help fill the void that the departure of Evans and Godwin will create, Licht has drafted a whole damn receiving corps that will have Baker Mayfield grinning from ear-to-ear through 2027 and beyond.

Bucs WRs Tez Johnson and Emeka Egbuka – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Licht surprised nearly everyone when he spent this year’s first-round draft pick on Egbuka, Ohio State’s all-time leading wide receiver. That move looks genius, as Egbuka is currently the NFL’s fourth-leading receiver with 445 receiving yards on 25 receptions (17.8 avg.) and his five touchdowns trail only Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has six.

Drafting Egbuka showed incredible foresight given Evans’ age and the fact that he was entering the final year of his contract, as well as the fact that Godwin was coming off a very serious ankle injury. That’s why Licht is one of the league’s best general managers, especially when it comes to the NFL Draft.

It’s one thing to address needs in the draft. It’s another thing to eliminate future needs by drafting for the future – in the present.

When a team has a franchise quarterback worth $100 million – and soon to be more – keeping the receiver room stocked with elite talent is not only smart thinking, it’s a must.

Licht had already spent a third-round draft pick in 2024 on wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who scored eight touchdowns as a rookie. But when injuries ravaged the receiver position last year – no Tampa Bay receiver played in all 17 games in 2024 – Licht didn’t settle on the fact that Evans, Godwin and McMillan would be okay moving forward when healthy.

He flooded the wide receiver position with not just Ebuka, but also Oregon receiver Tez Johnson in the seventh round. Johnson looks like a steal on Day 3.

Bucs WRs Tez Johnson and Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The selfless Egbuka returned for his senior season and won a national championship with the Buckeyes, while Johnson averaged 1,000 yards per season and 10 touchdowns in two years with the Ducks as one of the nation’s best receivers after the catch. Despite being just 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, Johnson has the “it factor” with his make-you-miss ability with the ball in his hands.

“Man, I’m telling you, the future is bright for those guys – and the Bucs in general,” veteran Bucs wide receiver Sterling Shepard said. “Those young guys are going already, and as you go on, I know in my second year the game slowed down for me. The game is a little bit faster than it is in college, it’s a little bit more physical. So once you get that down and you get to see some of the looks that were thrown at you, it slows the game down for you. The ceiling is so high for those guys.”

Future Force: Bucs Wide Receivers

Mike Evans, 32 – signed through 2025
Sterling Shepard, 32 – signed through 2025
Ryan Miller, 25 – signed through 2025
Kameron Johnson, 23 – signed through 2026
Chris Godwin, 29 – signed through 2027
Jalen McMillan, 23 – signed through 2027
Tez Johnson, 23 – signed through 2028
Emeka Egbuka, 22 – signed through 2028 plus a fifth-year option

“It’s great to have them, especially a guy like Mek,” Bucs defensive back Christian Izien said. “No one suspected we’d draft him or any receiver in the first round. Look how he’s turning out. We’ve drafted great receivers, but also great people. I think the Bucs have done a great job of targeting that position so far.

“It’s great to have those plug-and-play guys like Mek and Tez. The young guys have stepped up due to some of the injuries we’ve had. Guys like Kameron Johnson and Ryan Miller can step in, too. All of those guys are ready to play.”

Johnson had his coming out party in the Bucs’ 38-35 win over the Seahawks with four catches for 59 yards. With Egbuka already establishing himself as a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, McMillan and Johnson have shown the ability to be starting-caliber complementary receivers early in their careers.

“A guy that is dynamic for us,” Mayfield said. “[He] can stretch the field vertically his speed. Obviously, you guys saw the agility that was showcased, but just a guy that the more he plays, the better he is going to get when it comes to recognition on coverage and adjustments on routes. It is great to have him come along, especially because we truly need him.”

Johnson is thrilled to not only get some meaningful playing time with the absence of Evans and McMillan, but to be a part of something special in the WR corps moving forward in Tampa Bay.

Bucs WRs Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“It shows that Tampa Bay knows exactly what it was looking for in the future,” Johnson said. “It takes smart people to recognize that, and for us, the receivers in the room, we love each other and the bond we have with each other – we treat each other like family no matter who you are.

“One thing for me that I’ve taken in is that in college I was always ‘the guy.’ When I’m here and I’m watching Mek make those plays, I enjoy watching him make those plays. And it’s probably one of the most fun things to ever see on a Sunday. It doesn’t get any better than that. That kid deserves everything. JMac deserves everything, and when he gets back it’s going to be really fun to play alongside him for years to come.”

Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean, who like Izien, was tasked with the responsibility of covering Egbuka and Johnson in training camp, praised Licht for constructing an elite wide receiver room – not just for the 2025 season, but beyond.

“He did a great job of putting the pieces together,” Dean said. “Kudos to him and his great personnel team. He has a knack for finding great players. It’s pretty impressive to think about helping us at receiver that far ahead, but also helping us now. It puts us in a great situation moving forward. I know it must make Baker happy.”

FAB 2. Young Bucs WRs Are In The Perfect Place

What makes the young Bucs receivers such a bright spot moving forward is not just the talent that they have. It’s also the opportunity to learn from the best at the position.

With his size, route-running ability and playing style, Emeka Egbuka has been labeled a Chris Godwin Jr. clone. So who better to learn from than Godwin himself?

Not only have the team’s young receivers – Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson and Ryan Miller – learned the nuances of the receiver position from Godwin, they’ve also had a front row seat to watch how diligently Godwin has attacked his rehab this offseason.

McMillan, who is out until December with a severe neck strain, has unfortunately had to tap into that knowledge already.

Future Hall of Famer Mike Evans is the epitome of work ethic and there is no better example to learn from. Both he and Godwin are selfless, humble leaders who have each displayed a team-first attitude and elite production that has resulted in numerous multi-year contract extensions in Tampa Bay.

Bucs WRs Emeka Egbuka and Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“We’re pretty special, but it takes that connection piece in the room to make it work,” Tez Johnson said. “No one is bigger than the next person and I think that’s what we pride ourselves on. We hold ourselves to a standard. Look at guys like Kam Johnson and Ryan Miller – those guys are great and really contribute to the room. Those guys mean a lot to our room and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I think this is the best situation I’ve ever been a part of.”

Sterling Shepard, a 10-year veteran who turns 33 in February, sets a great example for the young receivers in terms of how to be a complementary piece on offense. With players like Evans and Godwin – and now Egbuka – playing leading roles at receiver, Shepard has found a role as a No. 2, No. 3 and sometimes No. 4 receiver in Tampa Bay’s offense.

Bucs WRs Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. Photo by: USA Today

Shepard entered the league as a second-round pick with the New York Giants in 2016.

“I had Odell [Beckham Jr.] and I had Victor Cruz, as my mentors,” Shepard said. “Those two were a big help to me, and then also we had Eli Manning at quarterback, and he’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever been around. He definitely helped me grow as a rookie.

“I just told you about my mentors and the older guys I had to learn from, but to have a Hall of Famer here in Mike, to have Chris, who has been great throughout his whole career, and to have me, who has played a lot of ball, it helps the young guys and speeds up their growth process a little bit more. It’s great for those young guys to have that, especially early on.”

Bucs WRs Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Johnson’s locker is right next to that of Shepard, who is a glue guy on the team with his infectious personality and the energy he brings to practice and in games. In some ways, the likeable and outspoken Johnson is a younger version of Shepard.

“Uncle Shep!” Johnson said. “When I first met Shep he was the same guy he always is – smiling and joking around. He’s got some experience. Also, getting drafted here and playing with Mike and C.G. … I would play with Mike on the game (Madden) … and to not know I was going to be drafted here and actually be his teammate – it’s pretty awesome. Just getting drafted by Tampa Bay has been a dream come true. It was one of the teams I had on my list – very high.”

FAB 3. Mike Evans’ Quest For Another 1,000-Yard Season Continues Next Week

The Bucs are hoping that Mike Evans can return to practice next week and perhaps play in Week 7 when the team travels to Detroit to play the Lions on Monday Night Football. Evans suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of the Week 3 win over the Jets and will miss his third game this season on Sunday when Tampa Bay hosts San Francisco.

The Bucs didn’t put Evans on injured reserve, which would have required him to miss four games, so conventional wisdom suggests that he’ll be in play for the Lions game, as that will be the fourth game since his injury.

When Evans returns, he’ll face a daunting task of getting to 1,000 yards receiving for what would be an NFL record 12th consecutive season. He’s currently tied with Jerry Rice with 11 straight years as a 1,000-yard receiver.

Bucs WR Mike Evans and Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

Evans only registered 14 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown in the first three games of the 2025 season, which means he has 11 games left to pick up another 860 yards – as long as returns to action in Detroit in Week 7.

Evans averaged 46.7 yards per game in the first three games this year, but will need to average 78.2 yards per game in the remaining 11 games to reach 1,000 yards. If he’s not ready to return to action until the following week, Evans must average 86 yards per game over the final 10 games of the season.

That may seem nearly impossible, but Evans needed to record 665 yards over the final seven games of the year last season after missing three games with a hamstring injury in Weeks 8-10. Evans had a modest start to the 2024 season with 26 receptions for 335 yards and six touchdowns in the first seven games, yet still managed to get the job done.

Evans needed to average 95 yards per game to finish with 1,000 yards last season and came through with four big games during the final stretch.

Mike Evans’ Big Receiving Games In 2024

Week 13 at Panthers – 118 yards
Week 15 at Los Angeles – 159 yards
Week 17 vs. Panthers – 97 yards
Week 18 vs. Saints – 89 yards

The fact that rookie Emeka Egbuka has emerged as one of the league’s best receivers this season could help open things up for Evans when he returns. The numbers are still in Evans’ favor provided he can stay healthy. He’ll need about 17 yards fewer per game than he did last season when he returned to action.

If the 2024 season taught us anything, it’s don’t bet against Mike Evans as his quest for 1,000 yards continues.

FAB 4. Next Man Up: OLB Mohamed Kamara

It’s been “next man up” a lot in Tampa Bay this year – more than Todd Bowles would like for sure.

The Bucs have had to rely on so many backup players at the start of this season that I’m going to profile a few of the team’s key reserves in each SR’s FAB 5 column over the coming weeks. Today, I’m going to profile practice squad outside linebacker Mohamed Kamara, who was signed after the Dolphins released him in their roster cutdowns after training camp.

Kamara isn’t one play away from being inserted into the lineup like the players I’ve profiled in past weeks, such as new guard Dan Feeney and reserve offensive tackle Ben Chukwuma. Third-year outside linebacker Markees Watts is on the active roster as OLB5 and ahead of Kamara in that respect.

But the Bucs need more juice on edge, and Kamara is the closest thing the team has on the roster to David Walker, the fourth-round draft pick who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first week of training camp. At 6-foot-1, 253 pounds, Kamara is even built like the 6-foot-1, 260-pound Walker.

Bucs OLB Mohamed Kamara – Photo by: USA Today

Kamara has drawn comparisons to legendary Bucs pass rusher Shaq Barrett because of their similar size, but also because they both played at Colorado State. Kamara recorded 45.5 tackles for loss and 30.5 sacks, including 13 as a senior in 2023, and five forced fumbles in college and was drafted in the fifth round by Miami last year.

But after a very uneventful rookie year, Kamara was released after the preseason.

“Shaq was here way before my time here,” Kamara said. “There are some similarities in our games, but that’s not what I’m thinking about. I’m thinking about learning this playbook. If I can follow in his footsteps then great, but I am looking forward to paving my own way. Hopefully I get there.

“I thought I was a smart guy, but I got humbled real quick by Todd Bowles’ playbook. It’s not just put your hand in the dirt and rush the passer. Nah, nah. No, No. There are fronts and games within those fronts and concepts, and then sometimes you bastardize the concepts for certain opponents. We might play quarters, but we might play quarters a different type of way. I see why they do so well here on defense.”

While Kamara is getting acclimated to Bowles’ voluminous playbook, he’s been giving Tampa Bay’s starting offensive tackles good looks in practice as a member of the scout team.

“He has great speed, great twitch and great power,” said Bucs right tackle Luke Goedeke. “He gives great looks in practice. Before I got hurt when I asked him to give me speed-to-bull on the day that I practiced a little bit he was really able to replicate what I was looking for. Hats off to him and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Bucs OLB Mohamed Kamara – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kamara has impressed the veterans in the outside linebacker room with his attention to detail as well as his pass rushing ability.

“Mo is coming along and he is asking great questions,” said Yaya Diaby. “He’s trying to pick everybody’s brain. Right now he’s trying to get in the playbook and give guys great looks. What really helps him out is that he’s not that tall and he gets great leverage. He has good power to him. It’s like when David Walker was in camp. He’s got power, but great leverage as well.”

Kamara has been trying to soak up as much knowledge as he can – not just about Bowles’ scheme, but also had to be an effective pass rusher and outside linebacker at the NFL level.

“It’s been great just learning from these vets,” Kamara said. “There are guys with around 10 years of experience to learn from, Vita Vea’s got a Super Bowl ring, just a bunch of great guys in this room.

“I’m 250 pounds. I think that’s what I enjoy being here and playing in this defense. You see all different shapes and sizes. You’ve got a smaller guy like Haason [Reddick] and [6-foot-7] Anthony Nelson. You’ve got Vita and Calijah Kancey, who are two different types of guys. The one thing about this system is that you’ve got to work on it, and you’ve got to know what you’re doing. But if you bring the juice, you can play here.”

The Bucs saw Kamara’s juice on tape at Colorado State and were considering drafting him on Day 3 in 2024, but the Dolphins beat them to it.

“I didn’t know they were interested in me before the draft,” Kamara said. “I just heard that floating around since they signed me. I’m just glad they picked me up after I was unclaimed. There are people out there on the couch waiting for a call. I’m excited to be here.

Bucs OLB Mohamed Kamara – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

“I don’t follow a lot of NFL guys on social media, but I followed the Bucs on Instagram and I saw something on Baker Mayfield where they had a little clip of his story. I was like, ‘Damn, that really did happen and he bounced around the league for a minute.’ I forgot that happened. Sometimes it takes a change of scenery sometimes and some people to believe in you. I know what I can do. I have to make sure everybody arounds me knows what I can do from the front office to the coaches and my teammates.”

Who knows what the future holds for Kamara in Tampa Bay? He’ll need to continue to impress to either get called up from the practice squad this year, or to stick around next offseason to have a chance to make it to training camp and suit up for the Bucs in the preseason.

“I’m hungry,” Kamara said. “I’m hungry and I have a spongy mind. This defense is extremely difficult, but I’m excited to get in it and learn it. This team has won the division championship five years in a row. You don’t just shit that out, and I see why. Literally after a win you see how people come in and prepare to win the next one, and how the coaches prepare you for it.

“We’re not just happy to win a game or two games. It’s not even about winning the division championship. The conversation is not about winning the division. The conversation is about winning the Super Bowl. That’s a different conversation. That’s a different mentality. I have to get my mind on that level.”

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Even though he’s only been in Tampa Bay for a few months, count outside linebacker Haason Reddick as a big believer in Baker Mayfield. The Bucs quarterback has engineered four close, fourth quarter finishes to get the team off to a 4-1 start.

“It’s extraordinary,” Reddick said. “Amazing at the end of the games. We have the utmost confidence. He’s done it what – about four times now? Almost a fifth? Anybody who doesn’t believe has to just be foolish at this point.

“We all understand that if we can just get the ball back into the offense’s hands – the ball back into his hands – we definitely have a shot. Especially for me, I have the utmost confidence in him.”

• Tampa Bay’s front four only has four sacks in five games. Defensive tackle Vita Vea leads the team with two sacks, while outside linebackers Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby each have just one. Bucs outside linebackers coach Larry Foote has issued a challenge to Reddick and Diaby to be more active, and in turn, more productive – even if the Bucs are facing more of a quick passing game this year.

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“The challenge for them, that I have personally – just a little insight – is I need more activity,” Foote said. “Sometimes that pass rusher can get frustrated when that ball is coming out fast; you cannot control that. Every snap – when that ball is snapped – you need to think the quarterback is going to hold it for three seconds and you are going to be able to get [to] him. That is my challenge: I need more activity.

“They are doing a lot of good things, but I need more activity. Do not worry about the sack numbers and when the ball is being thrown. Each snap think about you are going to have an opportunity to get the quarterback, and do not let the short, quick game frustrate you.”

Reddick said that Bowles’ penchant for blitzing at a high rate changes opponents’ game plans heading into games versus Tampa Bay’s defense.

“More so probably because of Bowles’ blitzing,” Reddick said. “They (opposing quarterbacks) probably feel like they [have to get the ball out quickly], as you can see. We do need more of that [pressure], right? Because the ball is coming out of his hands fast, somebody making that interception. They tried to do that with Cooper Kupp there and they were expecting the blitz. Antoine [Winfield Jr.] got great pressure.

“When it’s happening like that, like I said – tips, overthrows, dropping in short routes, we’ve got to get those [interceptions] to try to negate them from thinking that they can quick pass us. We’ve been getting it (quick passes) all year thus far, and it hasn’t been able to beat us. Keep the game close maybe, but it hasn’t beat us. As long as we can continue to keep that mentality and do a little bit better to shut down the quick game we’ll be alright.”

• Even though young Bucs receivers Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson and Jalen McMillan didn’t play together in college, they all knew each before winding up in Tampa Bay.

“I knew JMac in college because my receivers coach at Oregon coached him when he was at UDub (Washington),” Johnson said. “So I was in contact with JMac way before I even got here. Knowing Mek from Seattle, that was pretty awesome, too. The three of us bond really well together. Mek is like a brother I never had.”

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

Egbuka, a Seattle native, played at Ohio State, while McMillan played his entire career at Washington, which is in Seattle, and Johnson played his last two seasons at Oregon.

“Everyone knows I hate Seattle,” Johnson said. “That’s my rival school (Washington). I hate them. The other day after we got back, JMac came in and said, ‘Oregon still sucks!’ Well, every time I go to Washington, the game comes down to a field goal. It’s finally good to be on the winning side.”

• Speaking of Jalen McMillan, Bucs sources tell me that he’s still on track to return to action from his severe neck strain after the bye week. But it won’t be right after the bye week. Instead, it will most likely be December – perhaps against the Saints on December 7 or the Falcons on December 11.

“He’s doing really good, he’s still smiling,” Tez Johnson said, while giving an update on McMillan’s health. “He’s still the same JMac as when I first met him. Hopefully we get him back soon.”

• Check out my new Pewter Pulse video on how the Bucs linebackers are still the weak link in pass defense. A big challenge awaits on Sunday as Tampa Bay tries to contain San Francisco’s Pro Bowl running back Christian McCaffrey, who already has 39 catches and three receiving touchdowns.