Injuries to key players have become an unfortunate theme for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year, but it started well before the regular season. Jalen McMillan suffered a terrifying neck injury in the Bucs' second preseason game and hasn't played a single snap or come close to practicing since.
That's slowly starting to change.
McMillan was spotted at Bucs' practice this week without a neck brace. He didn't participate and was again merely a spectator, but it's starting to feel like he's getting closer to returning to the team. Greg Auman noted that there's a December return date circled, which is yet another piece of fantastic news on a number of different levels.
Just an observer, but good to see Bucs receiver Jalen McMillan at practice today. No neck brace again, supposedly targeting a December return. pic.twitter.com/k0BI2xSk5r
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) November 20, 2025
Buccaneers finally get some good news after latest Jalen McMillan injury update
There's the obvious football side of the equation, as the Bucs getting McMillan back will go a long way in adding some resources back into an offense that has been ravaged by injuries. Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Bucky Irving are all out, and it's unclear when any of them will return.
Evans broke his collarbone and supposedly could return in time for the playoffs, but that still feels like pushing it. Irving hasn't played since suffering a foot and shoulder injury in late September and Godwin has been out since the win over Seattle in Week 5.
Despite missing all of these pieces, Tampa Bay miracuously remains in the No. 4 seed and in control of the NFC South lead. Things are trending in the wrong direction, with the Bucs losing three of their last four games, but help could be on the way.
Getting McMillan back wasn't something anyone was banking on, but it'd a massive addition to the offense at the exact right time.
There's also the human side of this. McMillan was starting to develop as a top target, even with Emeka Egbuka in the fold. While it's clear that Egbuka is the team's WR1 in waiting, we've seen guys like Sterling Shepard and Tez Johnson get tons of looks in the meantime. While part of that is out of necessity, it also highlights that Josh Grizzard is finding a way to feed all of the mouths he has on offense.
McMillan's return would be a triumph after how bad his injury has been. So while the football side of it is an obvious win, simply seeing McMillan back on the field would be something that helped push the vibes back to a much more positive place than they seem to be trending at the moment.