The Bucs have been dealing with a litany of injuries this year, especially to their wide receivers.
Before the regular season even started, the team was down Chris Godwin, who was recovering from an ankle injury that ended his 2024 season. Then, once the preseason started, the team lost Jalen McMillan for a minimum of eight weeks when he went down with a neck sprain, but his return in 2025 is very much in the air. To pile things up, Mike Evans went down with a hamstring issue, the same one that kept him down for several weeks in 2024.
Through it all, the Bucs’ rookie class has surprised everyone with their play and consistent contributions to the offense. Emeka Egbuka has emerged as a star not just in the offense but perhaps in the entire NFL, and Tez Johnson has come on in recent weeks after a slow start of his own.
In Week 5, they played their best game together yet, and PFF took notice. PFF’s Jim Wyman made his selections for their Week 5 All-Rookie team, and both Egbuka and Johnson made the cut. Egbuka earned an impressive 88.9 PFF grade in Week 5, while Johnson was not outdone by too much as he earned a grade of 82.2.
Johnson has started to show he can be more of a deep threat in the offense, and it is something the offense has been missing. Everyone has been talking about Egbuka, but do not forget about Johnson as the season goes on, because he is likely to remain in it one way or another.
