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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan.

If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are planning to rely on wide receiver Jalen McMillan to be a big part of their offense in 2026, then let’s hope there’s a backup plan.

Pewter Plank’s Josh Crysler identified McMillan, who has missed 17 games due to injuries over his 1st 2 seasons, as the “X-Factor” for the Buccaneers on offense in 2026 and thinks the former 3rd round pick could be in for a career year.

That could be a scary proposition for a player who hasn’t shown he can be healthy for a complete season and is coming off a severe neck injury that cost him 14 games in 2025.

“In a room that features Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson, and rookie Ted Hurst, Jalen McMillan is often overlooked and underrated,” Crysler wrote. “A big part of this is that he missed the majority of last season recovering from a devastating neck injury, so his stats, so he didn’t have the chance to make the impact he’s capable of.  But a fully healthy McMillan could quietly step up into a massive role for the Buccaneers this season.”

McMillan has played a massive role in the offense before. As a rookie in 2024, McMillan had 37 receptions for 461 yards and 8 touchdowns, but put up the bulk of those stats down the stretch with 24 receptions for 316 yards over the final 5 games of the regular season — a stretch in which he led the NFL with 7 touchdowns.

Mystery Surrounding Jalen McMillan’s Initial Injury

McMillan was initially diagnosed with a “severe neck sprain” after he was injured against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a preseason game on August 16.

He was also initially projected to return for Week 8 or Week 9, but didn’t make his regular-season debut until Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons.

The twist was that McMillan didn’t really have a neck sprain — he actually fractured three vertebrae in his neck and, according to a story from ESPN’s Jenna Laine, doctors initially told McMillan there was a chance he could have been paralyzed for life.

“I mean, it was dark for me at first,” McMillan told Laine. “First, I felt good, and I thought it was just a minor injury and then the doctor said I almost got paralyzed, so it kind of scared me a little bit. And then there was doubt too because I didn’t know if I was going to be playing again.”

“Insane that Jalen McMillan was nearly paralyzed, didnt know if he’d ever play again and we were told for months on end it was a strain and he’d be back after the BYE,” EMT Ashlie wrote on X. “I need a 30 for 30 on the 2025 Bucs.”

Injuries Decimated Tampa Bay’s Offense in 2025

If the Buccaneers want to get back in the playoffs and back atop the NFC South Division in 2026, it boils down to staying healthy.

The 3 returning starters at wide receiver in 2025 — McMillan, Chris Godwin (8 games), and Mike Evans (9 games)— missed a total of 31 regular-season games with a variety of injuries.

Add in running back Bucky Irving (10 games), a season-ending injury to starting guard Cody Mauch in Week 2, and long absences for offensive tackles Luke Goedeke (6 games) and Tristan Wirfs (5 games), and you had the recipe for the Buccaneers going 8-9 and missing the playoffs for the 1st time since 2019.