The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rough start just got rougher. Wide receiver Jalen McMillan is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after suffering a sprained PCL, adding another major setback to a team already dealing with quarterback Baker Mayfield being sidelined for at least three weeks because of a thumb injury.
McMillan left Sunday’s game early with a knee injury, and ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported that the MRI showed the PCL sprain. Laine also noted that a second opinion should provide more clarity on the recovery timeline, but the early expectation is that McMillan will be out 6-8 weeks, factoring in his previous timetable.
Tampa Bay had counted on McMillan for a larger role in Zac Robinson’s offense, but injuries are again threatening to stall his progress. This is now the second straight season in which he’s set to miss significant time, and durability is becoming a real issue for the young receiver.
Through three seasons, McMillan has appeared in just 19 of a possible 37 games. He missed four games during his 2024 rookie season because of multiple hamstring injuries. Last year, his sophomore campaign was wiped out early when a broken vertebrae in his neck during the preseason kept him out for the first 13 games.
Now another lengthy absence is looming, and the pattern is hard to ignore. McMillan also dealt with a knee issue in college, and the injury-prone label is starting to follow him.
That’s what makes this so frustrating for Tampa Bay. When McMillan has been on the field, he’s produced.
As a rookie, he caught a league-leading seven touchdowns over the final five games to help the Buccaneers reach the playoffs. After returning from the neck injury last season, he had 12 catches for 178 yards in four games, a pace that would have translated to 51 catches and 757 yards over a 17-game season.
For a Buccaneers offense that has already struggled, losing a receiver with that kind of ability only makes the hole deeper. With the team sitting at 0-3, Mayfield out for at least three weeks, and McMillan likely headed for injured reserve, Tampa Bay’s opening stretch has turned into a full-blown disaster.
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