Not expected back soon.
So now that there is tangible evidence that both Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs are making headway to return to the playing field at some point for the Bucs, there is another starter Bucs fans are wondering about.
As we all know, Bucs receiver Jalen McMillan took a nasty plunge in the worthless preseason game at Pittsburgh this summer when Steelers camp meat/practice squad cornerback Daryl Porter undercut McMillan when he went high to catch a pass from Teddy Bridgewater.
McMillan landed on his head and left the game. He was spotted walking to the locker room after the game in a neck brace. Bucs coach Todd Bowles later said McMillan suffered a severely strained neck.
McMillan was placed on injured reserve. At best, McMillan won’t return until the Bucs travel to Seattle for a Week 5 matchup as anyone who is placed on injured reserve must sit out a minimum of four games.
Joe is confident McMillan would love to play in Seattle as that is where he became a star for Washington, which is based in and plays its home games.
When asked about McMillan on Saturday, Bowles had no information about McMillan’s progress.
> “Timetable has not changed,” Bowles said. “We see him every day. He is doing fine but we’re just walking in the hallway, so I cannot tell you, physically, how he is doing, but he is doing fine.”
Bowles did elaborate what that timetable may be.
Joe is going to assume Bowles’ use of the word “fine” means for normal people he’s fine, just not fine enough to play an NFL game.
The whispers Joe has heard about McMillan are that it may be wishful thinking to expect to see McMillan in a Bucs uniform before the bye week, which is the first weekend of November. (Notice Joe has not used any absolutes or firm dates here.)
Neck injuries, as one can imagine, are dicey and most football teams don’t want to monkey around with a neck injury. So it sounds to Joe the Bucs very much want to err on the side of caution with McMillan.
That’s probably the smart and responsible thing to do.