Ben Solak: Buy Stock In Jalen McMillan
July 9th, 2026
Time to fly.
One of the reasons why the Bucs, though distraught, haven’t (yet) checked into mental rehab over Mike Evans bolting the team so he could take a pay cut and pay much more in state taxes is what the Bucs have on the roster.
Sure, the Bucs (finally) have a healthy Chris Godwin. That helps. And the Bucs have Emeka Egbuka, who showed major flashes last year that he could be him.
But it is a guy who was cheap-shotted by a piece of Steelers camp meat that, as a result, a lot of folks forgot about. And that’s Jalen McMillan.
As a rookie, he finished the season strong in 2024 scoring seven touchdowns in the final five games of the regular season. Then last year in a worthless preseason game, McMillan was undercut and landed on his head.
He missed the first 13 games with broken vertebrae in his neck. When he did return against the Dixie Chicks on Thursday Night Football, his first catch was a 20-yard grab at the goal line when he took a vicious shot. His neck proved to be fine.
Solak hasn’t forgotten how McMillan finished the 2024 season and believes McMillan will pick right up and continue his progress.
I have not been shy about my lofty expectations for second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who I think can lead the league in receptions with coordinator Zac Robinson now calling the plays. But Egbuka was splitting No. 3 receiver snaps last season with McMillan, who is an impressive receiver in his own right.
McMillan, like Egbuka, saw most of his rookie season limited by hamstring issues. And McMillan’s 2025 sophomore season was also almost nonexistent because of a preseason neck injury.
If McMillan can stay on the field, he is the best candidate for outside receiver snaps. And he has the large radius and spectacular catch ability that the Bucs need following the departure of Mike Evans. Chris Godwin Jr. won’t fall out of the lineup entirely — he’s too reliable — but McMillan brings enough juice as a run blocker to eat into those snaps, too.
If McMillan can take that next proverbial step from his rookie year — let’s be real, last year was a wash for him — then the thought of a top-shelf McMillan along with Godwin and Egbuka has Joe salivating for what might be.
And then, just think, in the background Ted Hurst will be lying in the weeds ready to pounce on an opportunity.
Joe can understand why Bucs types have snapped out of their fetal position after the Evans escape.
July 9th, 2026 at 7:18 am
Tez might surprise us even more this year.
July 9th, 2026 at 7:22 am
I think we’ll be fine in the WR room. While nobody can predict the future, it seemed like M Evans body was regularly breaking down, so I’d put money on the Under when it comes to his production this year.
Thank you for your services, now please take home 1 Dollar for every 3 you make!
July 9th, 2026 at 7:42 am
TBBF has been saying that JMac is the WR to watch…..big star potential
July 9th, 2026 at 7:47 am
We’re gonna be just fine without Old Man Evan’s and his feeble hamstrings and ridiculous hairline.
July 9th, 2026 at 8:06 am
I didn’t think ME was a me player until 2024. It was great to see him get his 1000 yards at the end of the last game, the team & coaches forced it to him, and everyone celebrated with him. Then last year he openly talked about the importance of his streak when asked, which I thought was a bit off character. In previous years he would deflect and talk about the team instead. He definitely saw the WR stockpile at One Buc as a threat to his touches. And knowing CG was going to be healthier he decided to head to SF in search of targets. It’s all about stat padding and nothing to do about Baker vs Brock, TB vs SF nor any hidden mysterious theory. But that won’t stop the Joes from turning over rocks. Perhaps someday they’ll find that elusive crawdaddy.
July 9th, 2026 at 8:10 am
Jmac and Tez will surprise this year…imo, they both have that DAWG in them…should be fun to watch
GO BUCS!!!!
July 9th, 2026 at 8:16 am
Two burning questions as we approach the regular season:
Will Joe be posting a weekly Mike Evans stat watch column?
If so, will it include any 4 catch, 46 yard games or just those where he outperforms our best receiver of the week?
Tune in to Joe Bucs (kinda unless the player I like leaves) Fan this season to find out!
July 9th, 2026 at 8:26 am
JMac is the real deal. Can’t wait to see him play this season.
July 9th, 2026 at 8:31 am
“the thought of a top-shelf McMillan along with Godwin and Egbuka has Joe salivating for what might be.”
Add in Bucky, Gainwell, Tez, Otton and maybe Bauer. Can you say the cupboard is stacked!!
July 9th, 2026 at 8:35 am
I didn’t forget about him. Always liked him. I see a pretty good year for JMac..
July 9th, 2026 at 8:53 am
Drunk fan, trust me, if Evans has a big game, you won’t need to go any further than this. Hitching Post to find out about it. Whether it’s in a self-contained article or by other so-called fans, vomiting it out in post after post. No need to search for his stats. They will come to you.
July 9th, 2026 at 8:55 am
Take a quick look at Zac Robinson’s 2025 Falcons offense. They passed on 52% of their plays & ran on 48%, generating a total of 1048 plays on offense. Assume that the Bucs are able to match that this year & that Baker is our QB in all 17 games:
o Baker took 36 sacks last season & 40 sacks in 2024, so let’s say he hits the mid-point at 38 sacks this season.
o Bucs had an average of 1081 offense plays in the past 2 years (1068 in 2025 & 1094 in 2024). So if Zac stays consistent with his 52% passing & 48% rushing that’d be 562 passing attempts (38 sacks & 524 passes thrown) plus 519 rushes.
o Baker’s career completion percentage is 63.5%, so of the 524 passes he actually throws, he’d complete 333 of them, for 3773 passing yds, 26 TDs & 13 INTs.
o Bucs have a bunch of receivers vying for those 524 passes thrown. Long as they stay healthy, Godwin & Egbuka will get more than a fair share of those targets, with McMillan & Otton coming in next. And oh ya, our RBs will all get a pretty good share of those targets.
Point being: LOTS of mouths to feed. The numbers for the passing game would be a lot higher though IF Zac favors the passing game much more than he does the running game. All depends IMO on how effective the running game is (Todd LOVES a good running game).