Bucs receive a solid boost concerning Emeka Egbuka before kickoff against Jets but a few twists and turns remain
The Bucs will have their star rookie on the field, albeit in limited fashion.
In case you haven’t heard, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dealing with a lot of key injuries.
Including Tristan Wirfs, the Bucs will be down four starting offensive linemen against the New York Jets on Sunday, and Calijah Kancey was also lost for the year after tearing his pec against the Houston Texans in Week 2. On top of those injuries, wideouts Chris Godwin Jr. and Jalen McMillan are still out.
Star rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka joined the club with hip and groin injuries that held him out of the first two sessions of this past week’s practice. His status for the Jets game was up in the air until he put in a limited session on Friday. Since then, Egbuka is expected to play, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he’ll basically be on a snap count throughout the game.
This is semi-good news for the Bucs’ offense, as no Egbuka would mean Mike Evans has to carry the load for the entirety of the game. While Evans is more than capable of doing that, the offensive line injuries create a dark cloud over the offense, as a whole, and nothing is guaranteed.
Just the opportunity of having Egbuka on the field in certain situations where he can either take pressure off Evans or take advantage of his own matchups created by the Bucs’ all-star receiver is a major boon that could help Tampa Bay beat New York.
Calijah Kancey receives a long-term, but positive update, as well
As mentioned earlier, Kancey is out for the year. However, if the Bucs make the playoffs, there’s a chance he could be back on the field for a late playoff run, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Bucs have been adamant about their Super Bowl expectations for this season, so this is good news, even if it’s conditional and could change based on how the postseason plays out. Kancey is a major key for the Bucs’ defensive line and the defense as a whole. His potential presence in the playoffs could easily help Tampa Bay live up to its championship aspirations.
But obviously, the Bucs need to worry about Week 3 and the Jets, along with the rest of their schedule before this even becomes a serious topic of conversation. The first step to making that happen starts at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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The Bucs are dealing with major injuries that can easily determine the outcome of their matchup with the Jets.
