After sustaining a neck injury during their week two preseason outing, Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Jalen McMillan will likely miss a significant amount of time.
McMillan’s injury occurred as the young wideout leaped for a ball and was hit by a Pittsburgh Steelers defender. The collision caused McMillan to land awkwardly on his neck, which is now severely sprained.
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Following a promising rookie campaign, McMillan is now likely to miss regular-season time after the scary preseason hit.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles says Jalen McMillan has a severely sprained neck and will miss some time. He will not be ready for the season opener.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 19, 2025
Buccaneers writer Rick Stroud broke the news and emphasized a less-than-ideal timeline for Tampa Bay fans.
“Bucs coach Todd Bowles says Jalen McMillan has a severely sprained neck and will miss some time,” said Stroud. “He will not be ready for the season opener.”
After landing directly on his neck, McMillan was still able to hold onto Teddy Bridgewater’s pass and make the play. However, his strong efforts may have prevented him from showcasing his skills in the new and improved Bucs WR room to begin 2025.
Jalen McMillan –
Most likely this one falls under “painful” versus true injury. Hurts to fall from that high and bend like that with impact.
Will have to monitor but won’t be surprised if McMillan doesn’t miss much time overall with back discomfort.
pic.twitter.com/ZzcENZncxi— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) August 17, 2025
Stroud then posted another update on McMillan’s status, which confirmed the wide receiver is set to miss significant time.
“Jalen McMillan will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a “severely sprained neck,” against the Steelers, and could be out past the Bucs Week 9 bye week, the Times has learned,” the insider wrote. “Team still feels fortunate the injury wasn’t worse and have depth at WR starting with Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka. Chris Godwin will eventually return from a dislocated ankle. But tough news for McMillan.”
#Bucs HC Todd Bowles says that WR Jalen McMillan has a “severe” neck strain and will miss some time.
When asked if that means the start of the regular season, he again said “Yeah, he’s going to miss some time. It’s a severe strain.” pic.twitter.com/NfGRqcR4L0
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) August 19, 2025
Bowles mentioned that McMillan’s injury “shouldn’t be” career-threatening, but it looks like a serious issue. Hopefully, the 23-year-old receiver will fully recover and play in the upcoming season.
With McMillan out indefinitely and ninth-year pro Chris Godwin sidelined on the team’s physically unable to perform (PUP) list with an ankle injury, it seems as though one rookie will get his chance to shine.
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Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht and Buccaneers brass surprised many in the NFL world when they selected Ohio State standout Emeka Egbuka 19th overall in the 2025 draft. The shock is not a slight to Egbuka’s skill but towards Tampa Bay’s already talented WR room.
However, Licht and head coach Bowles may have feared Godwin’s injury all along, knowing that adding another receiver could be critical. Now, with both McMillan and Godwin out indefinitely, Egbuka will get the chance to play alongside 12th-year pro Mike Evans.
With Egbuka joining the group, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield may have the most lethal weapons in the NFL. With a rollercoaster NFL journey himself, Mayfield is thrilled to have Egbuka in the fold. While the rookie has yet to play a regular-season game, he is already impressing the veteran Mayfield.
“Receivers don’t always stay on the ground, run through the catch to get yards after the catch, and he reminds me of Amon-Ra St. Brown in a way, which is obviously high praise,” Mayfield said in an interview.
Whether or not Tampa Bay gets McMillan and Godwin back soon, the Buccaneers appear to be in safe hands with Evans and Egbuka.
