Receiver Jalen McMillan and tight end Cade Otton celebrate a McMillan touchdown last season.
It looked so much worse.
When Bucs receiver Jalen McMillan was undercut by Steelers camp meat cornerback Daryl Porter, Joe initially thought he landed on his back and had the wind knocked out of him.
Instead, McMillan landed head-first on the turf of (nee) Heinz Field. He got up and walked off without assistance but the damage was done.
It certainly was a scary moment. And maybe no one at the game (outside of possibly McMillan’s family) was more freaked out than McMillan’s former college teammate, Bucs tight end Cade Otton.
McMillan was at Bucs practice yesterday, albeit still in his neck brace. And yesterday, speaking with the Tampa Bay pen and mic club, Otton wanted to make sure everyone knew McMillan is good, aside from his severely sprained neck.
> “That’s always scary when you see a teammate go down like that,” Otton said. “But he’s in good spirits. I’ve been checking on him. Everyone’s been checking on him, and he still has a smile on his face, and he’s determined to get back as soon as he can.
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> “Obviously our staff is going to take care of him, but it helps us to see Jalen in such good spirits. So super thankful for that.”
That’s good to learn.
Joe breaks out in the shivers, wondering what would have happened if McMillan had landed on that turf just a few inches differently, if Joe is typing a far different story. Maybe a badly sprained neck is a blessing?
Hard to believe that maybe the Bucs’ deepest position is now anything but deep. And Mike Evans hasn’t yet had his annual summer hamstring issue.