The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed wide receiver Jalen McMillan on injured reserve Wednesday with a PCL sprain in his left knee. McMillan is officially out for a minimum of four games and is projected to miss six to eight weeks.
What the team and sources said
McMillan aggravated the knee injury during Tampa Bay’s Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, an MRI later confirming the PCL sprain. The IR designation locks him out through at least the next four games, but ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported the wideout is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks, per Sports Illustrated. It’s the latest setback for McMillan, who also missed most of the 2025 season with a preseason neck injury.
He managed just one target before Sunday’s injury forced him out, playing his 2026 season debut before landing back on the shelf, according to CBS Sports.
Who steps in at receiver
With Jalen McMillan sidelined, rookie third-round pick Ted Hurst is expected to move into the No. 3 receiver role behind Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. Hurst has already caught a touchdown this season and can line up outside, per Sports Illustrated. The Buccaneers are also expected to get receiver David Sills V off IR after their Week 4 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, adding another option at receiver.
McMillan’s role this season
McMillan entered 2026 with a bigger role expected in the wake of Mike Evans’ departure, but the knee issue has again derailed his season. Last year he caught 12 of 15 targets for 178 yards without a touchdown while dealing with the neck injury. As a rookie in 2024, he caught 37 of 58 targets for 461 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 43 rushing yards on four attempts, per Sporting News.
What’s next
The Buccaneers host the Green Bay Packers Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The team started the season 0-3 and is expected to use backup Jalon Daniels at quarterback while Baker Mayfield recovers from injury.
Reporting from CBS Sports, Sporting News and Sports Illustrated contributed to this story.
