Wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan returned to practice for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday, marking a potential boost for the team’s offense. Their return starts a 21-day period during which they can be activated from injured reserve at any time. Until then, they will not count against the 53-man roster limit.
Evans has been sidelined since October 22 after fracturing his clavicle in a game against the Detroit Lions. Earlier in the season, he missed three games due to a hamstring injury and has played in only four games so far, recording 14 receptions for 140 yards and one touchdown. McMillan suffered a neck injury during a preseason game at Pittsburgh, which required him to wear a brace for several months. Both players have now met the league’s requirement of missing at least four games before being eligible to return from injured reserve.
The team recently welcomed back Chris Godwin, who had missed five games with a fibula injury. The Buccaneers have yet to play this year with both Godwin and Evans—who are the franchise’s top two receivers—on the field together. With rookie Emeka Egbuka also emerging as an important contributor, Tampa Bay could soon have significant depth at wide receiver if Evans and McMillan are cleared for action.
Evans is Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in most receiving categories and ranks tenth in NFL history with 106 touchdown catches. Last season, he led the team with 74 receptions for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns, matching Jerry Rice’s record by surpassing 1,000 receiving yards for an eleventh straight season. McMillan became more involved late last year after Godwin was sidelined by an ankle injury; he finished his rookie campaign with 37 catches for 461 yards and eight touchdowns—including seven scores over the final six weeks of the regular season.
Tampa Bay has five regular-season games left and currently holds a narrow half-game lead over the Carolina Panthers as it seeks its fifth consecutive NFC South title.
