The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lead the NFC South despite injuries. Football rarely sees teams escape untouched, but the Bucs, though imperfect, keep moving forward. Now, they could get a key player and solid contributor back. Wide receiver Jalen McMillan could not wait to share news.
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Tampa Bucs WR Jalen McMillan Trumpets His Return Along with WR Mike Evans
At 7-5, Tampa Bay holds a half-game lead over Carolina due to a bye. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, completing 62.8% of his passes, does enough for a winning record. However, the team hit a rough patch, enduring a three-game losing streak in which they were outscored 96-62 and averaged only 164 yards per game. Last week’s win over Arizona helped break the slump.
We backkkk https://t.co/ugfmyJMOfN
— J MAC (@jalenmcmillan20) December 4, 2025
McMillan briefly addressed his and Evans’ return on social media.
“We backkkk”
McMillan, a second-year wideout from Washington, returns from injured reserve after sustaining a neck injury during a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers that kept him out for several months. Meanwhile, Evans, widely considered a future Hall of Famer, suffered a fractured clavicle on October 20, which sidelined him for several games.
Evans, who entered this season aiming for at least 1,000 receiving yards for an eleventh consecutive year, will likely fall short. With just 140 yards so far and a little over a month of play left, he would need to average 172 yards in each of the next five games to reach the 1,000-yard mark.
On Sunday, Tampa Bay faces the New Orleans Saints, who have allowed 225 passing yards just twice this season. After that, the Bucs host Atlanta and finish with two of their final three games against Carolina. To widen the gap over Carolina, they must win the next two games.
With McMillan and Evans back, the receiving corps grows even stronger. Sterling Shepard and rookies Tez Johnson and Emeka Egbuka give Mayfield five quality targets, helping him throw downfield, a clear strength. Currently, the Buccaneers hold the 26th spot in the PFSN NFL Offense Impact ranking.
The key challenge for McMillan and Evans is shaking off rust. Practice speed differs from facing defenders intent on stopping them every play. Now, you can expect to see more of a spread look with at least four of the wideouts playing significant snaps.
As a result, defenses will deploy subpackage corners that could struggle against Tampa’s ability to trace sharp routes but also get vertical when called upon.
Tampa Bay aims to secure a playoff spot soon. While a division title is the goal, they’d accept a wildcard berth. The impact of the returning starters remains to be seen.