The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense was one of the best in the league in 2024. The run game finally got turned around thanks to rookie running back Bucky Irving entering the fold, a cohesive offensive line and, despite losing Chris Godwin for half the season, the passing game was at an elite level with Baker Mayfield at the helm.
The offense will be returning all the same starters from a season ago, but they will be under new direction after Liam Coen left to become the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coach, paving the way for Josh Grizzard to fill the offensive coordinator role.
The Bucs once again added to their offense this offseason, drafting wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson as they look to add youth and depth to the room.
Tampa Bay started this last NFL Draft when they drafted Jalen McMillan. It took McMillan some time to find his footing after a spectacular rookie training camp, and once he did, he flourished. Over his final five games, McMillan scored seven times for the Bucs, helping them go 6-1 down the stretch towards yet another NFC South title.
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Dec 29, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan (15) leaps into the end zone for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Once again, a lot will be expected from McMillan in 2025. It is still unknown if Chris Godwin will be 100% to begin the season after his gruesome leg injury last year, and even with the additions of Egbuka and Johnson, he will be looked at as more of a veteran player as the rookies look to gain their footing, much like McMillan did last year.
When talking to the media following the Bucs’ first day of OTAs, McMillan described what he wanted to improve upon this offseason.
“Just be where my feet are, [have] intent with all my actions. I feel like last year, I was more focused on, ‘How am I going to look in the future?’ instead of worrying about what I wanted to accomplish in the moment, and as y’all can see, as I focused on the moment, I did good things.”
Staying in the moment is difficult, especially when put under pressure to perform at a high level. Getting too far ahead could be detrimental, and it seems as if McMillan is comfortable now that he has had his first real offseason as a pro, rather than going through the NFL combine, cognitive tests, and interviews that are demanded of a rookie before he is drafted and then immediately back to football.
McMillan continued expressing his goals and aspirations this offseason with an emphasis on making sure his body is where it needs to be.
“Definitely [to] get stronger, get faster, get smarter, just keep my circle tight. I think I was on a great run last year, so just continuing that and not falling off.”
McMillan had a decent season as a rookie and will be looking to take that next step here in 2025. He has all the intangibles to be able to do so, and it appears that he is taking this next step of his career seriously, as he looks to be tougher once the catch is made while expanding his knowledge of how to balance himself at the position from a mindset and cognitive level.
It will be intriguing to see how Grizzard and the Buccaneers decide to utilize all of the weapons they have on offense now with Egbuka and Johnson in the mix. But one thing is for sure — it’s a good problem to have.
