Tag: Jalen McMillan

Todd Bowles shares injury update on Bucs wide receiver

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver room is limping through the season as they are down both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver room is limping through the season as they are down both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. In their place, quarterback Baker Mayfield has utilized tight end Cade Otton and wide receiver Jalen McMillan.

McMillan popped up on the injury report on Friday and then missed the Bucs’ Monday night matchup with the Chiefs. He was listed with a hamstring injury, and on Wednesday, Bucs coach Todd Bowles gave an update on his condition.

“It’s just aggravated. It took a turn for the worse Friday, and it didn’t get any better yet. We’re waiting to see how he feels.”

The Bucs injury report will drop on Wednesday, and we will know if he has practiced at all this week and in what fashion. If the team is without McMillan again against the 49ers in Week 10, look for Ryan Miller to remain on the active roster to have his roster spot.

Todd Bowles sees young receivers ready for opportunity to step up

When the Bucs drafted Jalen McMillan in April’s NFL Draft, they expected him to have a year to develop behind Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.

When the Bucs drafted Jalen McMillan in April’s NFL Draft, they expected him to have a year to develop behind Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. What they didn’t expect was for him to become the team’s number-one receiver by Week 8.

After injuries to Evans and Godwin, that is the hand both he and the Bucs have been dealt. Despite the new role he finds himself in, coach Todd Bowles believes that McMillan and the rest of the receiver group are the right players for the job.

“For us right now, we’re excited to see our young guys play. We had to play without some defensive guys this year, now we have to play without some offensive guys…We think we’ll fare pretty well with these guys.”

Bowles is right here as well, the defense was hurt for weeks, and we saw several young players take that opportunity and grow. Tykee Smith and Zyon McCollum emerged as playmakers without Antoine Winfield Jr. in the mix.

Now, without Godwin and Evans, McMillan has a chance to do the same.

Todd Bowles rules out several players for Week 5 matchup against Falcons

The Bucs head to Atlanta to play against the Falcons, head coach Todd Bowles has officially ruled out five starters on the short week.

Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers injury report has been in midseason form in the early stages of the 2024 season. As the Bucs head to Atlanta for a Thursday night matchup against the Falcons, head coach Todd Bowles has officially ruled out five starters on the short week, as reported by Greg Auman.

  • DL Calijah Kancey
  • S Antoine Winfield
  • T Luke Goedeke
  • WR Jalen McMillan
  • WR Trey Palmer

Calijah Kancey will miss his fifth straight game with a calf injury. Bowles did note to reporters that Kancey might have been able to see his first action this season had the game been on Sunday, as the DT had no setbacks this week at practice.

Justin Skule, who has allowed seven pressures, will get the start against an Atlanta Falcons defense that has struggled in generating pressures on opposing QBs as the 28th ranked pass rushing defense per PFF, with Luke Goedeke unable to clear concussion protocol, being forced to miss his fourth-straight game.

The Bucs signed WR Sterling Shepard to their active roster again this week as both Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer will be out on Thursday. Shepard is coming off a 50 offensive snap outing against the Philadelphia Eagles, the most since 2022.

The Bucs will test the Lions new look secondary in playoff rematch

The Lions prioritized giving their secondary a facelift. They did that by investing in a first-round pick at cornerback in Terrion Arnold.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had their eyes set on this Week 2 matchup since the schedule was announced. They lost to the Detroit Lions in the divisional round of the playoffs in a close game and they believe things can go their way this time around.

This offseason, the Lions prioritized giving their secondary a facelift. They did that by investing in a first-round pick at cornerback in Terrion Arnold. They added with two more notable moves in signing Amik Robertson and then trading with the Bucs for Carlton Davis III.

The matchup between Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will be interesting against their former teammate and those new faces. Jalen McMillan, though, is a new face for all three of the new defenders.

Last week, they played the Rams, but they were without Puka Nacaua, and Cooper Kupp had over 100 yards receiving. The three-headed monster of the Bucs on offense may either prove to be too much for the new secondary or they will emerge as one of the best groups in the NFL.

WATCH: Bucs draft pick Jalen McMillan scores his first NFL touchdown

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Jalen McMillan out of Washington in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft in April.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Jalen McMillan out of Washington in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft in April. The team has some well-established players at wide receiver but had room for a third one to work in various roles; that is where McMillan has stepped up.

The rookie has wasted no time making plays for the Bucs, and he did so when he found the endzone for the first time in his young NFL career.

McMillan found the endzone for a big yardage touchdown from baker Mayfield for his third passing touchdown of the day. The passing attack was in full bloom on Sunday, and McMillan wasn’t left out of the fun.

The Bucs’ offense was firing on all cylinders against the Commanders. They couldn’t miss, no matter the target or play call. They hope the magic carries over to next week when they face off against the Detroit Lions.

https://twitter.com/Buccaneers/status/1832914869705666795

Bucs sail past Dolphins 24-14

The Buccaneers handily defeat the Miami Dolphins in their 2024 preseason finale.

The Buccaneers end the 2024 preseason on a high note, routing the Miami Dolphins 24-14. Tampa Bay’s starters played just one drive, but from the top to the bottom of the depth chart, the Bucs kept total control of the game and gave themselves some momentum heading into the regular season.

The Bucs opened the game with their starting offense on the field, marching down the field and facing just one third down. The biggest play of the drive came off a 28-yard bomb from Baker Mayfield to rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan:

McMillan’s catch set up a four-yard Rachaad White touchdown, giving the Bucs a 7-0 lead that they would not give up for the rest of the game.

Tampa Bay’s defensive starters similarly saw limited action, holding Miami’s offense to a three-and-out on its first drive. On third and one, Vita Vea demolished Dolphins center Jack Driscoll, setting up a tackle for a loss by Vi Jones and K.J. Britt:

Though the Bucs gave their starters a taste of real action, most of Miami’s Week 1 roster was not dressed to play. By the middle of the first quarter, there was not a first-string player on the field for either team.

The Bucs and Dolphins traded punts for most of what remained of the first quarter until Miami failed to convert a fourth down at the Tampa Bay 43-yard line just before the start of the second quarter. The Bucs picked up a few yards for a 50-yard field goal attempt that Chase McLoughlin successfully converted. It was just his second successful field goal of the preseason.

On the following Dolphins drive, the Bucs appeared to score a defensive touchdown off an Earnest Brown sack-fumble recovered by linebacker Antoine Grier Jr. However, on replay the call was overturned as an incomplete pass.

Evidently unsatisfied with points taken off the board, Tampa Bay’s offense put together a 47-yard touchdown drive that included a fourth-down conversion pass from Kyle Trask to undrafted rookie WR Kameron Johnson. The Bucs scored a few plays later when Trask found WR Ryan Miller in the corner of the endzone on a 10-yard pass.

The Dolphins responded in kind on the following drive. Driving 70 yards down the field, QB Skylar Thompson and the Miami offense found its first points off a 20-yard touchdown reception by TE Hayden Rucci. The first half ended with the Bucs up 17-7.

In the second half, the Dolphins continued their efforts to get back into the game, putting together a 76-yard touchdown drive that got them within three points of Tampa Bay. The Bucs quickly stamped out any hopes of a Miami comeback by scoring on the next drive, with Trask finding TE Tanner Knue in the endzone on fourth and goal:

Neither team would score for the rest of the game. Tampa Bay all but ended the game when Antonio Grier Jr. intercepted a Skylar Thompson pass with just under three minutes left in the game:

With the win over Miami, the Bucs end the 2024 preseason with a 2-1 record. After Baker Mayfield lone drive, Kyle Trask led the Bucs offense, completing 17 of 24 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Bucky Irving led the Bucs with 26 yards rushing for a 4.3 yard per attempt average.

The Dolphins actually outgained the Bucs offensively 320 yards to 290. However, Miami committed eight penalties to Tampa Bay’s five and allowed a sack and an interception while collecting none of their own.

The Bucs are now on the straightaway to their season opener against the Washington Commanders. While the preseason only provided a glimmer of what the Bucs will look like in the regular season, what they did show in this preseason finale appeared not far removed from where they left off in last year’s playoffs.

WATCH: Bucs HC Todd Bowles talks early training camp standouts

Hear from Bucs head coach Todd Bowles on which players are already impressing at this year’s training camp

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2024 training camp is in full swing, as practices continued Thursday at One Buc Place in preparation for the upcoming season.

After practice, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles met with the media and spoke on a wide range of topics, including some early standouts on both sides of the ball.

Watch the video above to see everything Bowles had to say following Thursday’s action.

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Bucs rookie WR Jalen McMillan working to earn Baker Mayfield’s trust

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan is already building chemistry with his new quarterback

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added another dynamic playmaker to their passing game this offseason, spending a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan.

A smooth, well-rounded prospect who can line up outside or in the slot, McMillan will be competing with Trey Palmer for the Bucs’ No. 3 receiver spot alongside Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

The Bucs also have a veteran returning as their starting quarterback, as Baker Mayfield is back after signing a three-year contract extension earlier in the offseason.

Speaking from his first NFL training camp, McMillan talked with the media about earning the trust of his new quarterback heading into the upcoming season:

Palmer showed flashes of big-play ability last year, but McMillan should push him for the WR3 job throughout training camp. Whoever ends up winning the job, the Bucs’ offense will be stronger for the competition.

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Baker Mayfield excited about Chris Godwin’s return to slot, Jalen McMillan’s arrival

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is thrilled about multiple changes to his wide receiver group this year

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have some noticeable changes to their wide receiver group this year, both in terms of players on the field and their roles and assignments in the offense.

Chris Godwin is expected to return to the slot-heavy role he had previously in Bruce Arians’ offense, now that Liam Coen has taken over for Dave Canales as the Bucs’ offensive coordinator. Godwin put up big numbers for the Bucs in the that role, and should see an uptick in his production this season as he moves back inside for many of his snaps.

The Bucs also spent a third-round pick on Washington’s Jalen McMillan, a smooth, polished pass-catcher who should immediately challenge Trey Palmer for the No. 3 receiver role behind Godwin and Mike Evans.

Mayfield is thrilled about both Godwin’s role change and McMillan’s arrival, as he told Pewter Report at his youth football camp this weekend:

Mayfield and the Bucs should be the favorites once again to win the NFC South, which they’ve done in each of the past three seasons.

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Who will emerge as the Bucs’ No. 3 receiver?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have a tight battle in training camp for the No. 3 wide receiver role

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers already have one of the NFL’s best wide receiver tandems in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but there’s an intriguing battle brewing for the No. 3 spot behind them heading into training camp.

Trey Palmer, a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, showed flashes of big-play ability and upside as a rookie last season, with rare explosiveness that can create big problems for opposing defenses downfield and after the catch.

But while Palmer should be even more polished heading into his second NFL season, he’ll face stiff competition for that WR3 role from Jalen McMillan, one of the Bucs’ third-round picks in this year’s draft.

Sara Walsh of NFL Network recently broke down the position battle with Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero:

Whoever ends up winning that job, the Bucs offense will be better for it, as they’re likely to get the best possible versions of both Palmer and McMillan as they both sharpen one another throughout training camp and the preseason.

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