Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Sees little action in 2026 debut
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McMillan didn't record any targets and played just seven of Tampa Bay's 65 offensive snaps in Sunday's Week 2 loss to Cleveland.
The good news is that McMillan was able to suit up after dealing with a knee injury that caused him to be inactive Week 1 against Cincinnati. It was anticipated that the 24-year-old would be on a snap count upon his return, and that's exactly how things played out, with McMillan's meager seven offensive snaps trailing all of fellow wideouts Emeka Egbuka (56), Chris Godwin (56), Ted Hurst (48) and Tez Johnson (19). McMillan figures to gradually ramp up his playing time in the weeks to come, though he could again be held back enough Week 3 versus Minnesota to make him a poor option in fantasy.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Making season debut Sunday
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McMillan (knee) is listed as active Sunday against the Browns, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
McMillan finally is putting the knee injury that has bothered him since early August behind him, but per a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN on Sunday morning, the third-year pro isn't expected to handle his normal workload. If McMillan is indeed operating on a snap count, he could yield more of the third-wide-receiver duties to rookie third-rounder Ted Hurst, which effectively could make McMillan the fourth option at the position behind Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin and Hurst. In 17 regular-season contests in his career, McMillan has combined for a 49-639-8 line on 73 targets.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Should play on snap count
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McMillan (knee) is set to play Sunday against the Browns but "is not expected to have a full-time role just yet," Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
McMillan was listed as questionable for Week 2 despite practicing fully all week, and although it appears he will be able to make his season debut Sunday, it seems he will not receive a full complement of snaps. Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin figure to remain the primary wideouts for the Buccaneers, with McMillan, Ted Hurst and perhaps Tez Johnson splitting the rest of the duties in some fashion.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Status in question for Week 2
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McMillan (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Browns.
Despite being listed as a full participant on all three Week 2 injury reports, McMillan isn't in the clear to make his season debut, which ultimately may not be known until about 90 minutes before Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. He's been dealing with a knee issue since early August, but if he's active this weekend, he'd join Ted Hurst and Tez Johnson as the WR options behind Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Inactive in Week 1
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McMillan (knee) is listed as inactive Sunday at Cincinnati, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
A knee issue has been impacting McMillan since early August, and while he appeared to look like his normal self early in the week, he was limited on all three Week 1 injury reports before the Buccaneers listed him as doubtful for Sunday's game. Now that McMillan officially is unavailable, he'll focus on getting healthy for a Week 2 matchup with the Browns on Sunday, Sept. 20. Rookie third-rounder Ted Hurst and Tez Johnson will be the reserve wide receivers for Tampa Bay behind starters Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin in the season opener.
McMillan (knee) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday.
Despite McMillan looking like his normal self in the portion of Wednesday's session open to the media, per Greg Auman of Fox Sports, the third-year wide receiver experienced restrictions on his workload. McMillan thus remains in recovery mode from the knee injury he suffered during an Aug. 4 practice, but he'll still have two more chances to get back to full participation before the weekend and Sunday's road matchup with the Bengals.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Seems to be full practice participant
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McMillan (knee) appeared to be a full participant in the portion of Wednesday's practice that was open to the media, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Tampa Bay will release its first injury report of the season following Wednesday's session, when it will be known whether McMillan was in fact a full participant or limited in some capacity. Even a limited listing would still put McMillan in a strong position to play in Sunday's season opener versus the Bengals, after a sore knee as well as a left calf injury kept him off the field for much of training camp. McMillan projects to begin the season as Tampa Bay's No. 3 receiver behind Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Chris Godwin.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: On field for Monday's practice
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McMillan (knee) was on the field running routes at Monday's practice, PewterReport.com reports.
Both McMillan and Emeka Egbuka (toe) were participating in Monday's session, putting both in good position to play Sunday against the Bengals. McMillan missed most of training camp, but his injury never sounded serious. He's expected to compete with rookie Ted Hurst for WR3 duties behind Egbuka and Chris Godwin this season. McMillan is the favorite to open the campaign in three-wide sets.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Remains sidelined at practice
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McMillan (knee) remains sidelined at Tuesday's practice, PewterReport.com reports.
McMillan missed most of training camp with a knee issue, but optimism is building for his Week 1 availability. He's expected to fill the No. 3 receiver role behind Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Chris Godwin, though 2026 third-round pick Ted Hurst is also likely to see sub-package snaps, and Tez Johnson acquitted himself well as a rookie when he got the chance last year. McMillan appeared in just four regular-season games last season due to a neck injury. He turned 15 targets into 12 catches for 178 yards and zero TDs after producing eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2024.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Likely to sit out preseason finale
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McMillan (knee) didn't travel with the Buccaneers to Jacksonville for Wednesday's joint practice with the Jaguars, PewterReport.com reports.
The Buccaneers will reconvene with the Jaguars on Friday in Jacksonville for the preseason finale, and McMillan would appear safe to rule out for that contest after not making the trip north from Tampa. McMillan hasn't played at all in preseason while managing a lingering knee injury, and though he appeared to make some progress last week by returning to practice in a limited fashion, he may have since taken a step back in his recovery. He didn't practice in any capacity Tuesday in the first of the Buccaneers' two joint sessions with the Jaguars.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Ruled out for second preseason game
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McMillan (knee) will not play in Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City, River Wells of BucsGameday reports.
McMilan returned to practice Tuesday after missing a week of action with a lingering knee issue, but per head coach Todd Bowles he will be eased back into action and will not suit up for Tampa Bay's second exhibition contest. In McMillan's absence, rookie Ted Hurst could continue to get extra reps with the first-team offense.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Labeled day-to-day by head coach
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Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Monday that McMillan (knee) is considered day-to-day, PewterReport.com reports.
He remained sidelined at practice Monday along with Emeka Egbuka (toe), whom Bowles referred to as "day-to-day, week-to-week," per Evan Closky of 10 Tampa Bay. McMillan has been tending to a sore knee for nearly two weeks, with the issue preventing him from playing in last week's preseason opener versus the Jets. The third-year wideout is trending toward another absence for Saturday's exhibition versus the Chiefs, but the Buccaneers haven't yet indicated that McMillan's availability for the start of the regular season is in any jeopardy.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Involved in position drills Tuesday
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McMillan (knee) is doing individual drills at Tuesday's practice, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Even if he isn't a full participant, McMillan's relatively quick return to practice seemingly confirms that his knee injury isn't serious. He's been out for about a week but may now be ready for a preseason appearance. McMillan is the favorite for Tampa Bay's No. 3 WR job, behind returning starters Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. Competition for snaps primarily comes from Tez Johnson and rookie Ted Hurst.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Held out of practice Tuesday
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McMillan (calf) isn't practicing Tuesday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Per Laine, McMillan is wearing a compression sleeve on his left calf and was dealing with some soreness Monday, when he was also kept out of practice. It doesn't sound like the issue is a major concern, especially at this point in camp, but the Bucs are likely to play it safe with the wideout until he's able to shake the soreness. McMillan missed most of last year due to a neck injury, though he has a chance to move up to a bigger role in 2026 following the departure of Mike Evans to San Francisco.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: More talent added to wideout room
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McMillan is expected to face increased competition for playing time and targets after Tampa Bay used a third-round pick on Ted Hurst in the 2026 NFL Draft, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
The Bucs continued to shake up their wide receiver room by selecting Hurst with the 84th overall pick last Friday. Over the offseason, the team has subtracted Mike Evans, who signed with the 49ers in free agency, and added Hurst to a group that still includes Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, McMillan and Tez Johnson. McMillan missed most of last season with a neck injury before making his debut in Week 15. In four regular-season games, McMillan produced a respectable 12-178-0 line on 15 targets. Egbuka faded fast after a big first half of the campaign, and Godwin didn't look anything like his old self after breaking his ankle in 2024. How this depth chart shakes out during training camp and the preseason will be something to watch for an offense that likes to throw the football.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Abbreviated '25 due to injury
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McMillan brought in his only target for 11 yards in the Buccaneers' 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday. He finished the 2025 season with 12 receptions for 178 yards on 15 targets and one carry for one yard across four games.
A neck injury suffered in the preseason ended up wiping out most of McMillan's second NFL season, as the wideout didn't make his 2025 debut until Week 15. He did post a 100-yard effort in Week 17 against the Dolphins, however. McMillan should have no restrictions for OTAs and could wind up in the No. 3 WR role if Chris Godwin can't come to terms on restructuring his contract and gets lets go by Tampa Bay.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Week 18 Waiver Priority List
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McMillan had a huge game in Week 17 at Miami with seven catches for 114 yards on nine targets. He only managed two catches for 15 yards on three targets in Week 16 at Carolina, and the Buccaneers are fully healthy at receiver with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka. But Baker Mayfield was leaning on McMillan against the Dolphins, and the same thing could happen in Week 18 against the Panthers. He's worth a look in deeper leagues as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Little with three touches in loss
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McMillan brought in two of three targets for 15 yards and rushed once for one yard in the Buccaneers' 23-20 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
Playing in just his second game of the season, McMillan had a modest role, albeit within the context of a day in which Baker Mayfield threw for just 145 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per attempt. McMillan did enjoy a solid snap share relative to the rest of the team's front-line receivers, as his 34 snaps (53 percent) were just two behind Emeka Egbuka and six and eight fewer than Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, respectively. McMillan should continue essentially splitting the No. 3 role with Egbuka during a favorable Week 17 road matchup against the Dolphins.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Two catches in season debut
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McMillan (neck) brought in both targets for 38 yards in the Buccaneers' 29-28 loss to the Falcons on Thursday night.
Making his long-awaited season debut following his recovery from a preseason neck injury, McMillan looked good while bringing in a pair of 19-yard grabs. One of those catches was originally ruled a 20-yard touchdown reception that was overturned on replay, when it was determined McMillan hadn't broken the plane of the goal line. The second-year wideout will have a chance to build on what was an encouraging initial performance when the Bucs travel to Carolina for a key Week 16 clash with the Panthers on Sunday, Dec. 21.
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Buccaneers' Jalen McMillan: Logs another limited session
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McMillan (neck) was a limited participant in Tuesday's walkthrough practice.
McMillan is inching his way toward making his 2025 debut after starting the year on injured reserve due to a neck injury. The Buccaneers will have a normal practice Wednesday, and McMillan's participation in that session will provide clarity on whether he'll be able to play Thursday against Atlanta.
