Buccaneers get bad news with Emeka Egbuka injury update for Baker Mayfield's return originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is a must-win game. They're facing off against the Carolina Panthers, the NFC South division leader, sitting at 3-2. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are 1-5 on the year.
A Week 7 loss would effectively end their season. So, with so much on the line this week, it's some great news that Baker Mayfield is expected to come back after a multi-game absence due to a thumb injury. But it's not all good news.
Unfortunately, as Greg Auman of Fox Sports shared, the Buccaneers' injury report reveals Emeka Egbuka, Mayfield's top target, is going to miss this weekend's matchup.
Buccaneers get bad Emeka Egbuka news for Week 7
The injury report for the Buccaneers revealed that Egbuka has a "concussion/knee" injury, and following DNPs on Wednesday and Thursday, he was a limited participant on Friday.
But even though his practice status was upgraded by the end of the week, there wasn't enough time for Egbuka to return in full capacity for the Buccaneers.
Unfortunately, as the season is seemingly on the line in Week 7, the offense will have to beat a Panthers defense without its top receiver.
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Chris Godwin and Ted Hurst will be busy this week, with Tez Johnson and tight end Cade Otton getting into the mix as well. Bucky Irving could be in store for a huge week as well.
While there's some optimism about the Buccaneers heading into this game with Mayfield's return, they're losing a key player for this matchup as well, with Egbuka ruled out on Friday.
Egbuka's injury should not be a long-term issue, but he's not playing in Week 7, when the Buccaneers really could use him. If Mayfield can pull this off against the Panthers, it would be quite an impressive win for the new $165 million QB.
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