With wide receiver Jalen McMillan still spotted wearing a neck brace nearly two months after suffering his preseason injury, the question around One Buc Place remains, “When will we see McMillan return?”
McMillan, entering his second year with the Buccaneers, suffered a severe neck sprain in August during a preseason matchup when he landed awkwardly while trying to haul in a deep pass. Tampa Bay initially labeled the injury as “week-to-week,” but as the regular season has unfolded, that timeline has only become murkier.
As of late October, McMillan remains in a hard neck brace and has yet to return to practice. While he’s been present at team meetings and occasionally seen on the sidelines during games, sources around the team have indicated that he’s still not cleared for any football activity, not even light workouts. The sight of McMillan still wearing the brace nearly 10 weeks after the injury underscores just how serious the sprain was. Neck injuries often require extensive recovery and stabilization periods, and medical clearance is typically conservative to avoid re-injury or long-term complications.
Team medical staff and head coach Todd Bowles have hammered down caution, with no firm timeline for McMillan’s return. Even if cleared to remove the brace soon, he would still need several weeks of strength rebuilding, conditioning, and non-contact work before any potential return to the field.
McMillan’s absence has been felt. After a strong rookie campaign in 2024, recording 37 receptions for 461 yards and eight touchdowns, he was expected to play a larger role as Tampa Bay’s versatile slot option behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr.
Instead, the Buccaneers have leaned on rookie Emeka Egbuka and veteran Sterling Shepard to fill the gap.Given that McMillan is still immobilized in a brace, a mid- to late-December return appears to be the best-case scenario. A post-Week 13 comeback could align with a potential playoff push, but that depends on how quickly he can regain strength, flexibility, and confidence once cleared. Could Jalen McMillan return this season? Technically, yes, but the timelines aren’t promising yet. Until the brace comes off and he’s back on the practice field, the Buccaneers are preparing to move forward without him for the foreseeable future. If he does make it back before January, it would be one of the more inspiring comeback stories of the year.
For now, though, Tampa Bay’s receiving corps must keep finding ways to produce while their young playmaker focuses on the long road back to full health, even with Mike Evans out for most of the season and Godwin out with a fibula injury.