Baker Mayfield wants to throw it deep more often

The Buccaneers added another piece to their passing attack in April when they drafted wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in the first round and quarterback Baker Mayfield has an idea about how he'd like to deploy the rookie.

Mayfield commanded a strong passing attack during the 2024 season as the Bucs finished third in the league in passing yards, but they lagged when it came to how far Mayfield was throwing the ball. They were 29th in average air yards per passing attempt as they thrived by having receivers pick up yardage after the catch.

A repeat of that would likely help the Bucs win games, but Mayfield said on Tuesday that he's looking for a few more big plays this time around.

"We're trying to get some more explosive [plays] in," Mayfield said, via the team's website. "Obviously, when you look at the stats — I'm not a big stats guy, but we weren't as much down-the-field explosive. We were creating a lot of open, in the middle, and guys getting some YAC."

Egbuka joins a receiving corps that includes Mike Evans, Jalen McMillian, Trey Palmer, and a rehabbing Chris Godwin, so there are pieces for the Bucs to deploy in a variety of ways come September. If Mayfield gets his wish, one of those avenues will see the ball reaching them well downfield.