Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan makes a catch against Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Daryl Porter Jr. Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan gives status update after preseason injury

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 12:43 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan took a nasty fall during Saturday's preseason matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he was seen wearing a neck brace after he landed on his neck during the incident. But thankfully for Bucs fans, it looks like McMillan is gonna be alright.

McMillan caught a pass in the first quarter from QB Teddy Bridgewater, but he was launched in the air and then fell down hard on his neck and back. He immediately left the game and was evaluated for a concussion and a neck injury, and he was seen leaving the game with a neck brace on. The sight was worrying for Bucs fans, but McMillan posted on Instagram later that he was doing just fine.

"God is amazing. Don't worry y'all, I'm [straight]," he wrote.

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan, who left tonight's game with a back/neck injury, on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/fu0KcqkTVk
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 17, 2025

While we don't know the extent of the injury, it's good to know that McMillan himself thinks he's all good.

Buccaneers still need to run tests on Jalen McMillan

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles spoke to media on Sunday, and he mentioned that there are still a few tests to run on McMillan before he's given the all-clear.

"They haven’t given me any scenario yet. They’re still running tests on him, so we’re going to wait until that comes back and then we’ll see what it is," Bowles said.

McMillan is currently battling with wide receiver Emeka Egbuka for Tampa Bay's WR3 spot, so any extended injury time would hurt him in that department. Thankfully, he has some time to rest, as the Bucs will be playing the Buffalo Bills in their final preseason game and Tampa Bay will likely not play any starters during that contest. Even still, the Buccaneers will need him healthy for Week 1 if Chris Godwin can't play — McMillan would be the WR3 in that scenario, so he'll hopefully be ready to go by the time the regular season rolls around.