Receiver Jalen McMillan.
Last year was a complete and total waste for Bucs receiver Jalen McMillan.
Thanks to a piece of Steelers camp meat headhunting to make a splash, McMillan broke his neck and played in four games. But he had a 100-yard receiving game against Miami in Week 17. He averaged a hair under 15 yards a catch.
Despite being starting this summer with a banged up knee, KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles hailed McMillan as one of the Bucs’ hidden stars.
> “He makes a bunch of plays,” Bowles said during a recent appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Everybody doesn’t really get to see how good of a route runner this guy really is, and how much of a competitor he is.”
Now if only the Bucs can keep McMillan healthy …
Emeka Egbuka’s mysterious sprained toe (it may or may not be turf toe) is also a concern. NFL teams opening the season on Sunday, Sept. 13, are not required to offer injury information until Wednesday.
Joe was not comforted to learn yesterday the Bucs worked out two receivers. You only do that at a position unless if you think you may need to sign one. That tells Joe that either Egbuka or McMillan’s (knee) status for Week 1 at Cincinnati is in question.
McMillan, as Bowles said, is a helluva player. But unless he’s on the field, McMillan’s talent will continue to be untapped.