In 2024, the Bucs defense struggled to remain healthy, and as a result, they could never find their groove. This offseason, Jason Licht did his best to add some depth pieces, draft some new starters, and sign some playmakers to make the unit foolproof.
Sadly, through two weeks of the preseason, that plan is not looking good.
The offense is already missing Chris Godwin Jr. to start the year; now, they will be without Jalen McMillan as well. The starting outside receiver for the Bucs suffered what Todd Bowles is calling a “severely sprained neck” after taking a hit that saw him land on his neck on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bowles pointed out that it is not a career-threatening injury, but he is going to miss some time, and that includes the regular season.
This means that Emeka Egbuka is definitely going to see more serious playing time as the season approaches and kicks off.
As Egbuka began to emerge as the slot receiver Baker Mayfield would fall in love with, similar to how he did with Godwin in 2024, he may now need to put in some work outside. The team will also likely have to retain Sterling Shepard on the 53-man roster to play some meaningful snaps to start the season as well. 2
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Jalen McMillan set to miss start of regular season with ‘severe neck sprain’
Reporting by Andrew Harbaugh, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
