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If you had to stop and say “Wait, what?” with the recent news on Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan’s neck injury, that’s OK. You’re not alone. With the Buccaneers on a bye in Week 9 and McMillan still out with what was thought to be a severely strained neck, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles revealed that it wasn’t actually a strained neck. Bowles disclosed McMillan’s injury was actually a fractured neck during an interview on The Ira Kaufman Podcast. McMillan hurt his neck in a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 16 and was initially projected to be out for at least the first 8 games of the regular season. In October, that was amended to McMillan not being able to return until at least Week 14. “Bucs receiver Jalen McMillan remains in a neck brace two months after his severe sprain in August, but hasn’t had any setbacks,” Fox Sports NFL Reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account on October 13. “On course for a December return right now. Some of the original reporting on McMillan’s timetable had mentioned a Week 10 return after the Bucs’ bye, but the expectation was a December return and still is.” ESPN’s Jenna Laine had perhaps the clearest take on the confusion around the McMillan injury. “Adding … Jalen McMillan did not require surgery for this,” Laine wrote on her official X account on November 1. “Unclear why it was a ‘significant neck strain’ in August but a fracture now. The MRI would have revealed the ligament damage and the fracture … It’s unclear whether the structural damage was part of the original diagnosis and that information was withheld or whether it was revealed later through additional testing.” Wide Receiver Injuries Rampant on Bucs McMillan’s injury has been part of the bigger injury storyline for the Buccaneers this season of traumatic injuries to their wide receivers. As of Week 9, all 3 of the Buccaneers’ starting wide receivers from last season were not available due to injuries. NFL All-Pro Mike Evans is on injured reserve after he broke his collarbone in a Week 7 loss to the Detroit Lions, and that came after already missing 3 games with a hamstring injury. NFL All-Pro Chris Godwin returned from a gruesome dislocated ankle suffered in Week 7 of the 2024 regular season, but only played 2 games before irritation in that same ankle flared up. He’s missed 6 games this year. Rookie wide receiver and 2025 first round pick Emeka Egbuka has been the one who has picked up the most slack — he leads the Buccaneers with 34 receptions for 562 yards and 5 touchdowns. McMillan Ended Rookie Year Looking Elite McMillan, a 2024 third round pick (No. 92 overall), had 37 receptions for 461 yards and 8 touchdowns as a rookie. He put up the bulk of those stats down the stretch with 24 receptions for 316 yards over the final 5 games of the regular season — a stretch in which he led the NFL with 7 touchdowns.
