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Bucs Won’t Have Injury-Prone WR Week 1 vs. Bengals
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- Bucs Won’t Have Injury-Prone WR Week 1 vs. Bengals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receivers Jalen McMillan and Chris Godwin. Getty
At this point, it's more of a surprise when Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan actually plays.
McMillan will miss a game due to injury for the 3rd consecutive season after he was ruled out for Sunday's season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals .
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"Bucs inactives are WR Jalen McMillan, CB Ayden Garnes, DL DeMonte Capehart , DJL Elijah Simmons , G Billy Schrauth, T Justin Skule and RB Sean Tucker ," Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account on Sunday morning.
It could mean we get to see more of a young pool of talented players for the Buccaneers — including buzzy rookie wide receiver Ted Hurst.
"No Sean Tucker or Jalen McMillan," NFL analytics reporter Zhain Dhanani wrote on his official X account on Sunday. "Should be good for Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell . Would also pay attention to Ted Hurst — sneaky add if Jalen McMillan's issue lingers."
It was quite a shift from just 2 days ago when it appeared McMillan was on track to play.
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"Bucs look entirely healthy for Week 1," Stroud wrote on Friday . "RB Sean Tucker is practicing again today and WRs Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan show no limitations."
Bucs WR Jalen McMillan Elite — When Healthy
McMillan has played a massive role in the offense before.
As a rookie in 2024, McMillan had 37 receptions for 461 yards and 8 touchdowns, but put up the bulk of those stats down the stretch with 24 receptions for 316 yards over the final 5 games of the regular season — a stretch in which he led the NFL with 7 touchdowns .
Unfortunately, he's missed 17 regular-season games over his 1st 2 seasons — 3 games with a hamstring injury as a rookie in 2024 and 14 games due to a severe neck injury in 2025.
Mystery Surrounding Jalen McMillan's Initial Injury
McMillan was initially diagnosed with a "severe neck sprain" after he was injured against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a preseason game on August 16.
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He was also initially projected to return for Week 8 or Week 9, but didn't make his regular-season debut until Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons .
The twist was that McMillan didn't really have a neck sprain — he actually fractured three vertebrae in his neck and, according to a story from ESPN's Jenna Laine , doctors initially told McMillan there was a chance he could have been paralyzed for life.
"I mean, it was dark for me at first," McMillan told Laine. "First, I felt good, and I thought it was just a minor injury and then the doctor said I almost got paralyzed, so it kind of scared me a little bit. And then there was doubt too because I didn't know if I was going to be playing again."
"Insane that Jalen McMillan was nearly paralyzed, didnt know if he'd ever play again and we were told for months on end it was a strain and he'd be back after the BYE," EMT Ashlie wrote on X. "I need a 30 for 30 on the 2025 Bucs."
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