Buccaneers' star rookie tabbed for major award at midseason mark

Pretty much everything has gone the Tampa Bay Buccaneers way in the first half of the NFL season.

They have battled through injuries, had multiple game-winning drives in the final minutes and are still atop the NFC South standings with the second overall seed in the NFC at 6-2.

Tampa Bay will have its work cut out for it here in the back-half of the 2025 season, beginning with a matchup against the New England Patriots, but it is never too early to examine how the end-of-the-year awards are going to play out.

At the midway point of the NFL season, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer took a poll amongst NFL executives to see where things stand when it comes to the NFL's end-of-season awards and honors. To no one's surprise, the Buccaneers landed one of their own on the list, as wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is the runaway favorite amongst execs to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year at midseason.

Egbuka favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year amongst NFL Execs

Oct 26, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"Egbuka leads all rookies in receiving yards per game (562 through eight games for an average of 70.3) and is fourth in catches (34). But some nuance makes him the overwhelming pick for this award. First, he’s vital to the Bucs’ success, as the team dealt with injuries to both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans early this year," Breer wrote. "Second, he’s been clutch, including scoring the game-winner in his NFL debut against Atlanta, then going off a month later in a shootout win in Seattle. He’s versatile, tough and smart, with a very bright future in front of him, all of which, clearly, our voters saw."

After polling the NFL executives, Egbuka came away with 26.5 votes, marking the majority with the next closest offensive rookie being Indianapolis Colts' tight end Tyler Warren with six votes and New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart with five.

Egbuka's numbers speak for themselves. He has not only been one of the best rookies, but one of the best at his position early in the season. The Buccaneers have had to lean heavily on their polished rookie, as mentioned by Breer, with Evans and Godwin being sidelined with injuries.

Egbuka has taken his role as the Bucs' WR1 and not looked back. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs' offense will be looking to lean on him even more here in the second half of the season, but will also need players like Tez Johnson to continue stepping up when called upon.

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