“Lingering Issues” For Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan
September 1st, 2026
Joe puts this in the “bad news” category.
Sara Walsh of NFL Network is reporting today that receivers Emeka Egbuka (sprained toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee bruise) have “lingering issues” and aren’t locks to play in Week 1.
Walsh says McMillan is running routes and is “getting there,” and there’s optimism he and Egbuka could play Week 1. Then Walsh started talking about how rookie receiver Ted Hurst is a favorite at One Buc Palace because he’s been “incredibly consistent.”
Joe isn’t in a panic, but the Bucs very likely will need 28 points to beat the high-flying Bengals on the road in 12 short days.
With the loss of Mike Evans and Sterling Shepard (39 catches), Egbuka and McMillan are key components to a Bucs offense that terrifies other teams.
Egbuka and McMillan were not practicing in the part of today’s session open to media.