The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hardly had any contribution from third-year wide receiver Jalen McMillan. That is going to be delayed even further with his latest injury. McMillan suffered a PCL sprain in the Bucs’ Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. The initial expectation is that McMillan will miss around 6 to 8 eight weeks.
“Update: It’s a PCL sprain for Bucs wide receiver Jalen McMillan, per source,” tweeted Laine. “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.”
Laine also noted that the injury appeared to be a re-aggravation of the injury he suffered in training camp that had him out for about a month, including missing the season opener. Now, the expectation is for McMillan to land on the IR.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lose Wide Receiver Jalen McMillan to PCL Injury
McMillan had a strong rookie season, posting 461 yards. However, he has been unable to stay on the field since. He was only active for four games in his second season. McMillan posted 178 yards. Now, he is back on the IR after being active for two games in 2026.
McMillan missed the Bucs first game and was only on the field for seven snaps in their second game. That was lower than expected, but head coach Todd Bowles noted that the team was just being cautious. Then, after just two snaps in Week 3, he re-aggravated the PCL. This is going to hinder his chances of making any sort of impact in year three.
When he returns, it will be closer to Week 10. Unless the receiving room suffers any injuries, the roles in the room will have been established. So, it will be hard for him to find his role. He will likely enter his fourth season without a contract extension and might enter his last year with the team in 2027.
Buccaneers Might Phase Out McMillan
McMillan was struggling to see snaps due to his injury, but he also was not one of the Bucs top three receivers. Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka had always been ahead of him. Godwin is the highest-paid receiver, and Egbuka was the highest drafted.
Then, there is Ted Hurst, whom the Bucs drafted in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Hurst was from Georgia State, so there was a thought that he would take some time to develop. However, he started the year ahead of McMillan and might not give it up.
Hurst has six catches for 103 yards so far this season. If he can continue to ascend in the next few weeks, the team will not push the rookie aside from McMillan when he returns.
Even Tez Johnson has 48 snaps through three weeks and might finish with more production than McMillan. It is going to be hard for McMillan to find his place on the depth chart when he returns.
Bucs Former 3rd-Round WR Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks