Bucs coach Todd Bowles made it clear today: Eventually, rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan “will be fine.” But McMillan’s body let him down with rotten timing.
A big element for a rookie who makes the 53-man roster is to learn. You will often hear coaches say late in a season how rookies are no longer rookies because they’ve got enough game experience to know what to do and what to expect.
McMillan is still learning. And he’s behind a learning curve due to his injured hamstring. McMillan, of course, did play Sunday against the slimy Saints. His lone target turned into a Baker Mayfield pick.
“Once you miss a couple of weeks, as a rookie, that’s like a lifetime,” Bowles said. “So he has to get caught up with the mental part of the game and speed it up a little bit.
“He’ll be fine.”
So now the question is, how far behind is McMillan? And because of his injury, did he lose his No. 3 receiver gig to Mayfield’s old college buddy, Sterling Shepard?
On the receiver front, Bowles noted Trey Palmer is on track to return Monday from the concussion that cost him the past two games.
