Buccaneers Expect Three Key Players to Return vs. Falcons After Weeks of Uncertainty

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may finally be getting the reinforcements they’ve been waiting on. 

Monday morning, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported that head coach Todd Bowles said Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, and Tristan Wirfs are all “in play” for Thursday night’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons (via @NFLSTROUD on X). 

For a team battling injuries, inconsistency, and a tightening NFC South race, it’s the best news Tampa Bay has received in weeks. 

Evans, McMillan, and Wirfs Nearing Return 

The Buccaneers have spent the past month patching together an offense without many of their most important players. 

Mike Evans, the franchise’s all-time leader in every major receiving category, has missed the last six games because of the fractured collarbone he suffered in Detroit during Week 7.

Earlier in the season, he also missed three games with a hamstring injury. 

The future Hall of Famer has been limited to just 14 catches for 140 yards and one touchdown due to all the time that he has missed. 

His 1000 yard streak will come to an end this year. 

But his return can give the Bucs the wide receiver alpha they have greatly missed all year. 

Jalen McMillan, who broke out late in his rookie season with eight touchdowns, still hasn’t played a snap in 2025. 

A significant neck injury in the preseason forced him into a brace for months and delayed his return to full-contact work. 

The team opened his 21-day activation window last Wednesday, and Bowles has emphasized that he has been progressing well.

Meanwhile, All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs has been dealing with an oblique injury that kept him off the field against the Saints.

After missing multiple practices last week, he now appears to be trending toward returning on a short week. 

This a major lift for a line that has struggled to protect Baker Mayfield consistently. 

One could make the argument that Wirfs is the most important player on this offense so his return is huge. 

Bowles previously ruled Evans and McMillan out for Week 13 against New Orleans, but he made clear that neither suffered setbacks.

For the first time since early October, the Buccaneers are close to fielding their full offensive core.

Why Their Return Could Shift the NFC South Race

Sunday’s loss to the Saints underscored how badly the Buccaneers need their stars back.

They have lost four of their last five games and five of their last seven games. 

The offense has averaged only 15.67 points per game in their last three games as the offense has been majorly struggling. 

Getting all three players back is exactly what this team needed and could dramatically reshape the Bucs’ playoff trajectory. 

The Bucs and Panthers are currently tied in the NFC South with four weeks to play. 

They play each other in two of the last three weeks of the season. The outcome of those games will decide the NFC South winner and who makes the playoffs. 

The Bucs have fallen to 7-6 so their only real hope of making the playoffs is winning the division. 

With Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin recently back from injury and Evans, McMillan, and Wirfs expected to suit up Thursday, Tampa Bay may finally look like the complete offense it expected to be entering the season.

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