NFL Insider Gives Concerning Injury Update on WR Emeka Egbuka

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were without their leading rusher in last week’s win over the San Francisco 49ers as running back Bucky Irving recovered from a shoulder injury.

They’ll almost certainly be without their leading receiver, rookie first round pick Emeka Egbuka, against the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football in Week 7.

“Emeka Egbuka is dealing with a hamstring injury … and it’s my understanding he’s not expected to play Monday against the Detroit Lions,” the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on October 15. “It seems like every receiver for the Buccaneers has dealt with some injury at some point this season.”

While Rapoport isn’t far off, those injuries haven’t seemed to slow the Buccaneers down yet — they’re off to a 5-1 start to the regular season.

Breaking Down WR Issues for Buccaneers

All 3 of Tampa Bay’s projected starting wide receivers have missed time due to injuries this season, but it’s the first game Egbuka will miss after he was a revelation through the first 6 games with 27 receptions for 469 yards and 5 touchdowns.

“Emeka Egbuka is the 3rd player since 1970 with 425+ receiving yards and 5+ rec TD through 5 career games along with Randy Moss and Ja’Marr Chase,” CBS Sports researcher Doug Clawson wrote on X on October 5. 

Egbuka, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, was fourth in the NFL in receiving headed into a 30-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers — a game he had to leave early with a hamstring injury.

NFL All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans has missed the last 2 games with a hamstring injury after missing 3 games in 2024 with the same injury. NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chris Godwin missed the first 3 games as he recovered from a dislocated left ankle — he missed the game against the 49ers

A third projected starter, Jalen McMillan, likely won’t play until Week 13 with a severely sprained neck.

“All of Baker’s targets it seems, are out,” Rapoport said on Monday, October 13. “You can add Emeka Egbuka to that list. He’s dealing with a hamstring injury … it doesn’t seem that serious but I do expect hin to miss some time. It’s not as serious as the Mike Evans hamstring injury but the Buccaneers are going to have to rely on Tez Johnson and Kam Johnson, who we saw make plays (against the 49ers).”

How Johnson & Johnson Can Fill Void for Bucs

Nowhere in the NFL is the “Next Man Up” ethos of football culture more in actual practice right now than Tampa Bay, where one player after another has gone down and one player after another has stepped into their place to help the Buccaneers win games.

The latest example came in the Week 6 win over the 49ers, NFL MVP frontrunner Baker Mayfield threw touchdown passes to rookie wide receiver and seventh round pick Tez Johnson and second year wide receiver Kam Johnson — players who had never caught a touchdown pass in an NFL game before Week 6.

Johnson, 5-foot-10 and 154 pounds, was already the lightest player in NFL history and now is also the lightest player in NFL history to score a touchdown.

Broncos best option to start alongside Dre Greenlaw is painfully obvious

Dre Greenlaw finally back! Strnad should start alongside him at ILB.

The Denver Broncos announced that they have designated inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw to return from the Injured Reserve list, where he has been since Week 3 due to a quad injury. Broncos Country finally got the injury update they have been waiting for. One of their top free-agent acquisitions is closer to making his debut in orange and blue. Will it be on Sunday against the Giants? We do not know, but the good news is that he is back in practice and did not have any setbacks.

One of Denver's top priorities heading into the offseason was the inside linebacker position. They addressed it in free agency by signing former 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw to a 3-year, $34 million deal. Greenlaw is a force in the middle of the defense when healthy. In 64 games over six years with San Francisco, he recorded 455 tackles, 3 interceptions, 14 pass breakups, 3.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Greenlaw is an experienced linebacker who will bring a lot of energy to this young Broncos defense led by Vance Joseph. It's a significant upgrade when he's on the field compared to what the team has had recently.

Dre Greenlaw's return leads to a big and very important question...Who starts alongside him?

Broncos' best option to start alongside Dre Greenlaw is Justin Strnad

Greenlaw, when healthy, is a monster. He should be an instant starter at the inside linebacker position. Now the big question is who starts alongside him. My answer would be Cody Barton, but he left Denver in free agency and signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. This leads to veterans Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad (the actual starting tandem).

Singleton is an experienced veteran who is very liked inside Denver's locker room. He is a team captain and currently leads the Broncos in tackles with 51. The concern with Singleton is that he is getting older and is coming back from a Torn ACL suffered in Week 3 of the 2024-25 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Despite leading the team in tackles, Singleton looks slow, which makes sense following that injury, and has been burnt by opposing players, noting significantly Saquon Barkley's touchdown in week 5 on a wheel route. Singleton has missed lots of tackles.

On the other hand, there is Justin Strnad, who, believe it or not, has been one of the team's breakout players so far in the 2025-26 season. He currently has 3.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and one pass breakup. He is a solid inside linebacker who, in the past, was a solid special teams player at best, and now, in my opinion, he is the one who should start alongside Dre Greenlaw. Strnad is a more dynamic and faster player compared to Singleton. I would not be surprised if Denver tries to trade Singleton, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

Denver has Drew Sanders, who is currently injured, and also has Levelle Bailey and Karene Reid.

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