Todd Bowles knows how to help fix Emeka Egbuka’s drops, but it’ll be easier said than done against the Falcons
Egbuka has been a major bright spot for the Bucs, but his drops are casting a cloud over his first-year accomplishments.
Emeka Egbuka was tied for the league lead in drops coming into Week 14, and he produced two more during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints.
One of the drops would’ve given the Bucs a 27-24 lead with a little under six minutes left to play. It was easily the most disappointing moment in the rookie’s young career, and he certainly felt as much after the game.
“I can’t help but feel like I let them down today,” Egbuka told reporters after the game. “I’m on this team for one reason, and it’s to catch the ball, and I didn’t.”
Egbuka has had a great year, but he has to get this fixed. Sure, there’s not a single receiver to ever exist that’s never dropped a pass, but 10 through 13 games is way too many, especially for a first-round pick and player who’s considered to be the future of the Bucs’ passing attack.
Todd Bowles knows how to get Egbuka comfortable again
Drops can quickly lead to a, no pun intended, drop in confidence, and that’s the last thing the Bucs want out of Egbuka, especially since Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan have yet to return from their respective injuries officially. With Chris Godwin still getting back on track, as well, the Bucs need every bit of Egbuka they can get.
Bowles has been around the game a long time and has a plan to get Egbuka back on track.
“Just get him some quick throws early, get him some easy catches and try to get him in the groove and get him in the rhythm,” Bowles told reporters Monday. “He’s got to get himself in a rhythm as well. We trust him completely. He’s a great player for us. When your great players drop the ball, you just got to live with it. But you know, he’s hard on himself, and he’ll come back from that, and he’ll play better.”
There’s a problem with Bowles’ plan, however
Bowles is correct in his assessment. However, it’s easier said than done in the vacuum that is the Week 15 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
Per Next Gen Stats, the Falcons are one of the NFL’s best teams at defending short passes. They’ve allowed the 10th-lowest EPA/attempt and the fourth-fewest touchdowns when defending throw times of 2.5 seconds or less.
The reason is that the pass rush is married with coverage in these instances. The Falcons pressure opposing QBs at the eighth-highest rate due to their seventh-best time to pressure mark of 1.84 seconds, combined with the secondary’s seventh-best 3.2 yards of separation at the time of the pass.
The Falcons may be a 4-9 team, but they have pieces on defense to make opposing offenses’ lives hell. It’ll be intriguing to see if the Bucs can get Egbuka back on track.
Egubka has to get in gear himself, as well
It’s not just the Bucs that need to put Egbuka in a good spot – he has to live up to his end of the bargain, as well. A lot of times, drops are chalked up to concentration issues. While that may sound a bit counterintuitive given Egbuka’s high level of professionalism, no one is immune to it.
Odds are he can pull it off, but he’ll have to pull his own weight in the matter.
Fortunately, it sounds like help could be on the way for not just Egbuka, but the Bucs’ passing attack as a whole.
Bowles says Evans and McMillan are in play for Thursday
Both players saw their respective 21-day practice window open last Monday, and while they didn’t play Sunday, there’s a chance they can go during the short week that precludes this game.
That would be a major boon for Egbuka by removing a ton of pressure from his plate. Sure, he wants to be tested at the highest level and is more than happy to take on the challenge of carrying an NFL passing attack, but it’s obvious he’s not at the point where he can be a reliable, No. 1 target on a weekly basis.
Potentially getting Evans and McMillan back would open the door to more favorable situations for Egbuka, since defenses will be geared toward those guys, plus Godwin, on top of Egbuka. They’ll eventually have to pick their poison, and it’ll lead to prime opportunities for everyone involved.
It’s one foot in front of the other, first, though. Egbuka needs to get the drops out of the way and get back to making plays. If he does that, then the Bucs’ playoff hopes will get a much-needed spark of rejuvenation as the team heads into the final four games of the year.
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