TAMPA — Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan returned to full practice Wednesday as the team prepares for its home opener against the Cleveland Browns, Head Coach Todd Bowles reported, giving Tampa Bay’s passing attack a potential boost after a four-turnover loss in Cincinnati.
McMillan, a third-round pick out of Washington in 2024, suffered a knee injury early in training camp and was limited in all three practices last week before being held out of the season opener. Quarterback Baker Mayfield said the addition of McMillan to a receiving corps already featuring Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and rookie Ted Hurst would change the offense significantly.
“Yeah, J-Mac’s a stud,” said Mayfield. “Just unfortunate timing on some of his injuries in the past couple years. But he had a great offseason leading up to that point. He’s a guy that I trust completely. He brings a different dynamic, being able to separate in coverage, a different level of juice, and also somebody that when he makes plays you can feel the energy on the sideline. You can feel it from him and he elevates the standard.”
McMillan closed his rookie season with seven touchdown passes in the last five games, finishing with 461 yards on 37 catches. He was an early star of 2025 training camp before a neck injury in a preseason game at Pittsburgh sidelined him until December, when he posted a 114-yard game against the Dolphins in Week 17.
In the 27-20 loss to the Bengals, Mayfield completed 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards while operating primarily out of “11” personnel with Godwin, Egbuka and Hurst, who combined for 14 catches and 139 yards. Josiah Trotter provided a spark with a pick-six in the third quarter, but four turnovers — including a fumble by Bucky Irving that was knocked free by Bryan Cook and recovered by Boye Mafe — proved too much to overcome.
The Bucs also enter the week looking to reignite a ground game that ranked fourth in the NFL in 2024 at 149.2 yards per game and third with a team-record 5.25 yards per carry. Tackle Tristan Wirfs said the offensive line is focused on recapturing that form under new Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign.
“What year was it, 2024? Our run game was something else,” said Wirfs. “Top five. That’s when we’re at our best. Kenny G. coming in, a freak of nature. Bucky’s back — literally a joystick. All these guys. Tuck’s a freak. When Tuck gets downhill it’s hard to stop him. That’s where it starts, and again it starts with us up front.”
Running back Sean Tucker, who missed the opener with a hamstring strain, remains a question mark. Bowles said before the Cincinnati game that the team could elevate second-year back Josh Williams from the practice squad if needed. “If we have to elevate him, yeah,” Bowles said. “We’ve got a lot of moving parts going that we’ve got to do, so it’s not automatic.” Tampa Bay hosts Cleveland on Sunday in the team’s first home game of the 2026 season.