Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ wide receiver Jalen McMillan left today’s preseason matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the game due to a back injury, but is also being checked for a concussion.
This issue popped up during the team’s second drive when Teddy Bridgewater delivered an 18-yard completion to the second-year standout. McMillan made an impressive catch, but was upended by the Steelers’ defense and came down hard on his back and head. The 23-year-old remained down on the turf following the play, but managed to jog off under his own power before he was eventually taken to the locker room for further evaluation.
The Washington product is looking to build off a solid rookie season in which he tallied 37 receptions for 461 yards and eight touchdowns across 13 games played. He finished the season especially strong, recording seven touchdowns across his final five games. McMillan finished last season ranked 56th among wide receivers in total fantasy points with 135.4 total points and 10.4 per week based on DraftKings scoring.
It was a positive sign to see the way McMillan left the field, but the Buccaneers will do a full evaluation before any diagnosis or recovery timeline is established. Tampa Bay has a strong wide receiver room headlined by Mike Evans, 19th-overall pick Emeka Egbuka, and Chris Godwin when he returns from his ankle injury. But McMillan is also expected to play a key part in Tampa Bay’s air raid attack, and his absence would be felt if he is set to miss any time.
The Buccaneers hold -170 odds of making the NFL Playoffs on DraftKings Sportsbook and are the -110 favorites to win the NFC South. They hold the 13th-best Super Bowl odds at +2800 entering the 2025 season.
More updates will be added as they are provided.
