TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially kicked off voluntary practices, better known as OTAs, on Tuesday with a different pecking order at wide receiver.
Following the departure of longtime legend wide receiver Mike Evans to San Francisco, third-year receiver Jalen McMillan is primed for a breakout season.
“He was a huge part of this program, and we can’t replace him,” McMillan said of Evans. “He’s left this room in great hands. He’s given so much knowledge to Chris and us. I’m excited to step in to see what we can do. This is where we’re going to gain confidence. We played without Mike in a couple of games last year. We’re going to continue it.”
A terrifying neck injury suffered in a preseason game kept McMillan out until December of last season. He managed to play the last four games and really broke out in Week 17 against Miami with seven receptions for 114 yards.
“It meant a lot. I had to sit in my bed wondering whether or not my neck was going to heal correctly,” he said. “So as soon as I was given the opportunity to play again, I knew I couldn’t look back.”
“Jalen is tough. His mental toughness is unbelievable,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “His compete and competitiveness, the way he attacks the ball, the way he fights for every route and tries to get open and wants to be that guy — it gives you a lot of confidence he’ll be doing that in the games.”
It’s going to be more than McMillan carrying the load for the receivers — it will be a group effort with veteran Chris Godwin Jr. and second-year star Emeka Egbuka.
We push each other every day,” McMillan said. Emeka and I had a third-down competition to see who would get the most catches, and we tied. We both had to do pushups. We do that s*** every day, so it’s fun.”
This was the first of nine practices over the next three weeks as the team gears up for training camp.
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