Bucs receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan return to practice

TAMPA - It is one of the scariest injuries a football player can endure in their career. 

"Anything involving the neck is always scary, man," Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. said. 

And "scary" is exactly how you could describe the play that led to Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan missing most of his sophomore season in the NFL. 

"It's a violent game that we play, and you never know things will impact guys long term," Godwin said. 

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The backstory:

During the Bucs' second game of the preseason, McMillan went to catch a high pass and was upended by a Pittsburgh Steelers' defender. 

The hit didn't seem to faze McMillan much, but by the end of the night, the second-year receiver was spotted wearing a neck brace. 

Originally, the Bucs described the injury as a neck sprain, but later, head coach Todd Bowles confirmed that McMillan, in fact, broke a bone in his neck that required him to stay in that neck brace for months. 

But now, out of the uncertainty, comes a bit of hope for the Bucs and for McMillan. 

"For J-Mac (McMillan) it's been a long time coming," quarterback Baker Mayfield said. 

Wednesday, the Buccaneers officially opened McMillan's 21-day window to return from injured reserve. Making their walkthrough practice the first time McMillan has joined the team for practice since his injury. 

What they're saying:

"It was great to see him get cleared. You could see the smile back on his face and him moving around a lot better," Bowles said. "You can tell he got his weight back up and he has been running quite a bit. To see him back out there, I'm happy for him."

What's next:

The Bucs now have 21 days to activate McMillan off the IR. And while the timetable for his return to play is still up in the air, McMillan's teammates are just happy to see him practicing again. 

"Seeing him walking around and moving around really good and seeing how healthy he is, [is] really good for us all," Godwin said.

Along with McMillan, the Bucs also opened wide receiver Mike Evans' 21-day window as the veteran receiver tries to return from a broken collarbone. 

For the Bucs, seeing these two receivers return to practice means reinforcements are on the way for a team that has been battling injuries all season. 

"It'll keep getting better for us, but like I said last week, we have what we need to win right now. Those pieces will be bonuses," Mayfield said. 

By the numbers:

Last season, Evans (1,004yds) and McMillan (461yds) accounted for a combined 1,465 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.

Officially, both McMillan and Evans were limited at the Bucs' walk-through practice on Wednesday as the team works the pair back slowly from their injuries.