Bucs' Liam Coen Scouts Jalen McMillan's Rookie 'Journey'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Jan 4, 2025 10:56 AM ET

The life of an NFL rookie often resembles a rollercoaster, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Jalen McMillan can attest to that.

The former Washington product had a slow start to life as a Buccaneer, having just 30+ receiving yards twice in his first eight games and having four receptions just once in a game.

But that is part and parcel of life for a rookie, and over the last month, we've started to see McMillan look far more comfortable in Liam Coen's scheme, and Jalen is developing into quite the weapon for Baker Mayfield.

“Everybody's journey is so different, and for him, had so much success when he first got in this building, and now it's really starting to hit stride for everybody else to see too," Coen said. "For him to of done the work on himself in the system, with his teammates, his coaches, the work that he's done to put himself in the position to do what he's doing, he earned that.

"There was a lot of work that went into it. For him to earn the right to play the way he's playing right now, and really happy for him. It's helping our offense extremely well. He's playing at a high level.

McMillan's stats over the last four games show how much he's improved.

In total, Jalen has amassed 242 yards and six touchdowns from 19 receptions to become one of Mayfield's favorite weapons.

Now, as the Buccaneers aim to navigate the final game of the regular season before the playoffs begin, McMillan will look to continue his fine form and then launch into the postseason, where he will, hopefully, continue to make his mark as a member of Coen's offense.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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