All eyes have been on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice field this week as receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan continue their chase to be cleared to play on Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons.
Evans is coming back from a broken collarbone, while McMillan has a neck injury that has kept him from playing a single down in 2025.
So naturally, the Buccaneers aren't going to push the duo too much, but head coach Todd Bowles offered a little update on Wednesday about the offensive duo and their ability to play against Atlanta.
“Looked good,” Bowles said. “They look fresh, they ran great routes, they look like they never left. Obviously, they hadn't been hit or anything yet, but they look good in practice.”
Evans feels like the one who is more likely to have a bigger role if given the green light to hit the field in Week 15, but has the veteran done enough for Bowles to be confident in pulling the trigger on allowing No. 13 to return?
"Yeah, he has," Bowles added.
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Bowles' comments were a positive sign that the pair could be playing, and then ESPN's Adam Schefter posted on X that Tampa Bay had activated both Evans and McMillan, with both now having a shot to play on Thursday.
Of course, the next 24 hours will be huge in determining whether the pair will play, and, if so, how much, given they have both missed considerable time.
We can't expect Evans and McMillan to play 60 snaps on Thursday night, and my guess is a snap count for the pair, similar to Chris Godwin when he finally made his return after a long injury lay-off.
Either way, it appears the Buccaneers are getting healthy at the right time of year, and with a big division game up next, you wouldn't bet either Evans or McMillan playing and having a big say in who wins this football game.
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