Every offseason, optimism is ushered in for each NFL club. On paper, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the potential to field one of – if not the best – receiving arsenal in 2025. The Bucs picked up first-round pick Emeka Egbuka and seventh-round selection Tez Johnson in April and the pair have bolstered the unit and added another dimension to Baker Mayfield's talented cast.
From Mike Evans, the back-shoulder aficionado and field stretcher, to RAC-artist Chris Godwin, to Egbuka's savvy route running and command of the catch point, the Bucs are loaded in the receiver room.
"We are so connected in that room," said Tez Johnson. "Mike [Evans] is obviously a deep threat. Emeka is a deep threat. A lot of our guys in that room are a deep threat but we have certain things that are different. I can make people miss. Emeka is that big, Chris Godwin-guy that can get yards after the catch. [Sterling] Shepard and me are shifty, make people miss guys. J-Mac [Jalen McMillan] is really a guy that can hit all the zones and stuff like that so when Mike says this is the best receiver room he has been a part of, I think he is right."
In 2024, the Bucs produced an offensive juggernaut. Last season, the unit ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring (29.5 points per game) and finished with the second-most points scored in a single season in franchise history. The Buccaneers were the only team in the NFL to rank in the top five in both passing yards per game (250.4) and rushing yards per game (149.2) and became the first team in NFL history to complete 70% or more of their passes while averaging at least five yards per carry. Tampa Bay led the NFL in third-down conversion rate in 2024 (50.9%), establishing a new franchise record.
The Bucs will look to continue the trend in 2025 as they chase their fifth-straight NFC South crown. The team has placed an emphasis on the vertical attack with downfield explosives to pair with the successful short-to-intermediate game that maximized players in space with YAC in 2024. Adding Egbuka, who primarily played out of the slot at Ohio State, and Johnson, who is electric with the ball in his hands, to Godwin and McMillan's abilities, Tampa Bay has a bevy of versatile weapons to employ up and down the line of scrimmage in the fall. The room excelled in one-on-one drills during joint practices with both the Titans and Steelers and has the potential to take the league by storm.
