Bucs' Jalen McMillan Will Miss Time with 'Severely Strained' Neck Injury, Bowles Says

The neck injury Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan suffered in Saturday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers will keep him out for the start of the regular season.

Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters on Tuesday that McMillan has a "severely strained neck" and won't be ready for the Bucs' Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 7.

The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud reported McMillan will be placed on injured reserve and could be out through the team's Week 9 bye.

McMillan was seen wearing a neck brace while on the practice field with his teammates on Tuesday morning.

The injury occurred early in the first quarter when McMillan leaped to catch a pass from Teddy Bridgewater. Steelers defensive back Daryl Porter undercut his legs while he was in the air, leading to McMillan landing on his head and neck.

McMillan was able to walk off the field under his own power with the Buccaneers' medical staff. He was ruled out of the game with what the team said was a back injury and concussion.

Bowles told reporters on Sunday that McMillan was still undergoing tests and no information was available at that time. The second-year wideout did post a message on Instagram seemingly indicating he was okay.

Bowles did not indicate on Tuesday how long they expect McMillan to be out. If he were to be placed on injured reserve, it would keep him out for at least the first four weeks of the regular season.

The Bucs will wrap up preseason play on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. McMillan was projected to enter this season as one of the starting receivers, alongside Mike Evans and rookie Emeka Egbuka.

Tampa is already shorthanded at wide receiver with Chris Godwin not practicing as he continues to recover from an ankle injury that ended his 2024 season in Week 7. There has been speculation that he could open this season on the PUP list, but general manager Jason Licht hasn't confirmed anything at this point.

Evans and Egbuka will be the top two receivers for Tampa in Week 1 with McMillan's injury, and assuming Godwin is unable to play.

A third-round pick in the 2024 draft out of Washington, McMillan had a promising rookie season for the Bucs. The 23-year-old had 461 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games (12 starts) to help the club win the NFC South for the fourth consecutive year.