With Jalen McMillan sidelined by a PCL sprain, rookie standout Ted Hurst III and versatile playmaker Tez Johnson must ignite Tampa Bay’s offense against a stout Packers secondary.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3) are taking on the Green Bay Packers (1-2) on Sunday, but they'll be without wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who was recently placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury. So he's expected to miss the next 6-8 games with a PCL sprain in his left knee.
So far this season, McMillan hasn't logged a stat, only getting one target against the Minnesota Vikings in Week three. McMillan does have a bit of an injury history. In 2025, he missed 13 games due to a neck injury that was sustained against the Pittsburgh Steelers in that preseason. With McMillan out, other receivers will step up against the Packers.
What Bucs Wide Receiver Will Step Up Against The Packers?
The Buccaneers have a few wide receivers who can make more of an impact, one of whom is Ted Hurst III. Hurst was drafted in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 84th overall, out of Georgia State. Hurst had a solid preseason, catching two passes on seven targets for 19 yards. He did well throughout training camp also, having multiple big plays. At 6 foot 4, 200-plus pounds, running a 4.42 40-yard dash.
Hurst was drafted, in a way, as a replacement for Mike Evans as the X receiver. Hurst has a lot of talent. Over three games, Hurst has six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Now Hurst will get more targets and will have the opportunity to make more plays.
Some other options they have at wide receiver are Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin. Egbuka was entering this season as the number one receiver, with Evans leaving for the San Francisco 49ers. Egbuka is emerging as one of the better wide receivers in the NFL, having a great rookie campaign with 938 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Godwin has been a solid No. 2 receiver for Tampa Bay, doing a lot of work in the slot and blocking as well. They also have Tez Johnson. Johnson has been a bit of a gadget player, running jet sweeps, but he can also get downfield. Johnson has been in a reserve role for the Buccaneers, only catching two passes for 57 yards.
Overall, Tampa Bay has a decent number of weapons, and even with McMillan's injury, they have enough depth and then some to be viable targets for undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels, who will make his NFL start on Sunday.
