The hits keep on coming for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After losing quarterback Baker Mayfield for at least three weeks due to a thumb injury, wide receiver Jalen McMillan will also be sidelined with a significant injury.
McMillan exited Sunday's game early with a knee injury, and according to ESPN's Jenna Laine, the MRI revealed that McMillan suffered a sprained PCL that is expected to keep him out 6-8 weeks.
Update: It’s a PCL sprain for Bucs wide receiver Jalen McMillan, per source. The second opinion will give much more clarity on the timetable for recovery, but the early thinking is this could be 6-8 weeks, which factors in his previous timetable.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) September 28, 2026
Tampa Bay had big plans for McMillan in Zac Robinson's offense, but he's now set to miss significant time for the second season in a row, and injuries are starting to become a major concern for the promsing young receiver.
Injuries are derailing Jalen McMillan's promising Tampa Bay Buccaneers career
McMillan has played in just 19 out of a possible 37 games early in his career, missing nearly 50% of contests, and his latest injury will negatively impact that ratio even further.
In his 2024 rookie season, McMillan missed four games due to multiple hamstring injuries. In his sophomore campaign last year, at no fault of his own, McMillan suffered a freak injury in the preseason -- a broken vertebrae in his neck that caused him to miss the first 13 games of the season.
Now, he's set to once again miss about half the season. Through three seasons, he's never stayed healthy for a full year, and it's starting to become a real concern. He missed time during his college career with a knee issue, and the dreaded injury-prone label is starting to follow McMilla.
It's a real shame, because McMillan is a very productive player when he's on the field. In his rookie year, he caught a league-leading seven touchdowns in the final five games to help Tampa Bay reach the playoffs.
Last seaaon, after returning from the devastating neck injury, he recorded 12 catches for 178 yards in just four games. That equates to a 17-game pace of 51 catches for 757 yards. As the Buccaneers offense continues to falter, they could really use a receiving threat like that to help boost the passing game.
This is just the latest domino to fall in Tampa Bay's disastrous start to the season. The Buccaneers are 0-3, Baker Mayfield will be out for at least three weeks, and now McMillan will almost certainly be headed for injured reserve.
When it rains, it pours, and it's storming in Tampa Bay right now.
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