The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are unlikely to have running back Sean Tucker or wide receiver Jalen McMillan when the team takes on the Cincinnati Bengals to kick off the 2026 season. Head coach Todd Bowles listed both players as doubtful after Friday’s practice.
McMillan has been out for the last month with a knee injury. Bowles defined it as a situation where he ‘banged knees‘ with another player in practice. Tampa Bay’s head coach downplayed the injury at the time, but it appears to be impacting his availability in the season opener.
Tucker has been in and out of practice for the past two weeks with his hamstring injury.
Bowles made it clear that neither player had a setback, and that their being doubtful is just the stage they are at in their recovery.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers List Jalen McMillan and Sean Tucker as Doubtful
The bigger story is McMillan. He is entering his third year in the NFL, and this is expected to be a make-or-break season for him. He recorded 461 yards as a rookie. It was not spectacular, but enough to make you buy into the third-round pick as he entered his second NFL season.
However, injuries were a notable story for him in year two. McMillan played in just four games and caught 12 passes for 178 yards. Now, his third year became a prove-it season because his fourth year will be the last year of his rookie salary.
The Bucs would have to decide whether to give McMillan a contract extension after this year or have him possibly enter free agency.
So, another injury and more missed time is not quite the way that he wanted to enter the year.
Bucs Have a Plan at Wide Receiver
The biggest issue McMillan faces is the possibility that he will start to get phased out of the Bucs offense. Tampa Bay already had Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin ahead of him.
He had a chance to push Godwin this year, but all indications are that Godwin is the clear number two, if not pushing Egbuka for the top spot.
With McMillan out, he is not only sliding to the third spot, but potentially the fourth when he gets back. Ted Hurst is a rookie from Georgia State, so he was not expected to make a massive impact out of the gate.
However, Tampa Bay took him in the third round, so they do have expectations for him. So far, he has looked good in the preseason. He would have been behind McMillan, but he has taken advantage of the time that the third-year receiver has missed.
Hurst will start if McMillan does not play. If he plays well, the Bucs are going to struggle to keep him off the field. This could cost McMillan significant playing time.
As for Tucker, he was already a third-string running back who was asked to take a pay cut before the year. The team will likely call up Josh Williams to fill his spot. Williams was pushing him in training camp as well.
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