Bucs' Jalen McMillan, Sean Tucker doubtful for opener vs. Bengals; Emeka Egbuka 'is full go'

Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 11, 2026

Published in Football

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Bucs have outstanding depth at receiver, though much of it is provided by first- and second-year players.

That depth will be tested in the regular-season opener at Cincinnati. Receiver Jalen McMillan is doubtful with a knee injury, head coach Todd Bowles said Friday. And he’s not alone. Running back Sean Tucker is nursing a hamstring injury and also doubtful.

The good news is that second-year receiver Emeka Egbuka, who sustained a toe injury in a joint practice with the Jets last month, is expected to start Sunday.

“Emeka is full go,” Bowles said.

Bowles said neither McMillan nor Tucker suffered any setbacks this week. “It’s just where they are.”

If Tucker can’t go, the Bucs would consider elevating LSU running back Josh Williams from the practice squad, and he would become RB3 behind Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell.

”We’ve got a lot of moving parts going that we’ve got to do so it’s not automatic," Bowles said.

Even with the departure of future Hall of Famer Mike Evans, the Bucs are pretty well stocked at receiver with Egbuka, Chris Godwin, McMillan, Tez Johnson, rookie Ted Hurst and Kameron Johnson.

Hurst benefited from extra reps in practice while Egbuka and McMillan were out and will likely see more playing time Sunday.

“It’s invaluable to a rookie because he gets reps and he gets smarter more or less in the playbook,” Bowles said. “We know what his physical skills are, but it’s more about getting everything down mentally, and he’s done a really good job with that.”

Bowles is 4-0 in season openers since taking over as the head coach. What’s the key to a fast start?

“Preparation is everything,” he said. ”Coming out there, hopefully that continues on Sunday. Every year is a different year. We’ve got to make sure we don’t beat ourselves. If we don’t beat ourselves, we’ve got a chance."