Over the past couple of months, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been decimated by injuries, and the rash of key absences came at the worst possible time. With so many missing pieces unaccounted for, the entire Bucs offense collapsed, and the team as a whole has been in a train wreck state.
Losing to Super Bowl contenders like the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Rams was bad enough, but after barely surviving the Arizona Cardinals before losing to NFC South rivals the New Orleans Saints, the Buccaneers are so far removed from their previous status as Super Bowl hopefuls that they are fighting to stay above .500 under Todd Bowles.
The good news is that the Buccaneers most important players are either returning or have already returned from injuries. Running back Bucky Irving is healthy and scored a touchdown last week. Chris Godwin is back in the saddle again at wide receiver. And soon to join him will be his long time partner in crime Mike Evans, as the Buccaneers legend has recovered quite quickly from a broken collarbone.
Is Jalen McMillan ready to chip in for the Bucs vs. the Falcons?
There is one more key part of the Buccaneers wide receiver crops who could make his return against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football alongside Evans, too. That would be young wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who has, thus far, been unable to follow up on an encouraging rookie campaign out of LSU as a third round pick for the Buccaneers in 2024.
McMillan suffered a neck injury in the preseason that required his placement on the injured reserve. But like Evans, McMillan is questionable for Thursday night's marquee NFC South matchup and has also been activated off the injured reserve.
Therefore, it seems very likely McMillan will be on the field. Unlike Evans, he will have a smaller role to play, and whereas an all important player like Evans with his veteran track record may not need as strict of a snap count, it is also very likely the young McMillan will have his usage monitored as he is eased back in.
Yet even though McMillan is more of a bit player in the Buccaneers offense than Evans, any unit with Baker Mayfield under center benefits exponentially from having more available mouths. And McMillan is one heck of a talent who could be an X-Factor for the Bucs down the road of the season and playoff hunt. He is one to watch, and after already being held out of the New Orleans Saints loss as a precaution, he could get a target or two as a tune up vs. Atlanta.