There weren’t many players in the NFL — not just on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — who were playing better than wide receiver Jalen McMillan at the end of the 2024 regular season.
That’s why it was such a blow when McMillan was injured in an August 16 preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and an even bigger shock when the Buccaneers revealed he would miss at least the first 8 games of the regular season with a severe neck sprain.
Almost 2 months after his injury, McMillan is reportedly still on track to return this season, but not until a Week 14 home game against the New Orleans Saints.
“Bucs receiver Jalen McMillan remains in a neck brace two months after his severe sprain in August, but hasn’t had any setbacks,” Fox Sports NFL Reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account on October 13. “On course for a December return right now. Some of the original reporting on McMillan’s timetable had mentioned a Week 10 return after the Bucs’ bye, but the expectation was a December return and still is.”
McMillan Dominant at End of Rookie Year
McMillan, a 2024 third round pick (No. 92 overall), had 37 receptions for 461 yards and 8 touchdowns as a rookie. He put up the bulk of those stats down the stretch with 24 receptions for 316 yards over the final 5 games of the regular season — a stretch in which he led the NFL with 7 touchdowns.
From the Buccaneers’ official X account in December 2024: “J Mac’s 4 straight games with a TD grab is tied for the fourth-longest streak by a rookie in NFL history.”
For the third consecutive season dating back to his final year at the University of Washington, McMillan will miss games due to an injury. He missed 4 games in 2023 with a MCL sprained and 4 games due to hamstring injuries in 2024.
In the 6 seasons dating back to his freshman year of college, McMillan has just one year where he didn’t miss games due to injury, when he had 79 receptions for 1,098 yards and 9 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022.
It seems like if McMillan is on a football field for any extended period of time, it’s almost a certainty he’s going to get hurt.
Buccaneers Having Terrible Time With Injuries
For the second season in a row the projected 3 starting wide receivers for the Buccaneers have all missed games due to injury.
NFL All-Pro Chris Godwin missed 9 games in 2024 due to a dislocated left ankle and will miss his fifth game this season in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football. NFL All-Pro Mike Evans missed 3 games in 2024 due to a hamstring injury and has missed 2 games in 2025 with the same issue.
Egbuka, who leads the Buccaneers with 27 receptions for 469 yards and 5 touchdowns, is now on track to miss time after suffering a hamstring injury of his own in a Week 6 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
With Evans, Egbuka and Godwin all out against the 49ers, quarterback Baker Mayfield threw the first career touchdown passes to 2 different wide receivers — rookie Tez Johnson and second year player Kam Johnson.
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