Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has spent years turning skepticism into production, and Sunday’s home opener against the Cleveland Browns gives him another chance to do it in front of a crowd that once watched him try to save a franchise.
The Buccaneers are coming off a 33-27 loss in Cincinnati, so they are in dire need of a win in Cleveland. The good news is that Mayfield is about to get one of his most important weapons back in the fold.
Jalen McMillan, who sat out Week 1 with a knee injury that has lingered since early August, is expected to be available against the Browns on Sunday, via NFL insider Adam Schefter.
That being said, Tampa Bay does not plan to hand him a full-time role right away, as Schefter notes that he is likely not prepared for such a workload just yet.
That measured return still matters.
In his first two NFL seasons McMillan caught 49 passes for 639 yards and eight touchdowns. Those numbers are not gaudy, but they represent a vertical threat and a red-zone presence Mayfield has used before. With Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin already on the field, another reliable target changes the geometry of the passing game.
Week 1 showed what happens when the supporting cast is thin. Egbuka led the team with 63 receiving yards while the Buccaneers tried to stay on schedule against Cincinnati.
Mayfield can still create, but he is more dangerous when defenses cannot load the box or shade coverage toward one or two options.
McMillan’s presence, even in a limited package, forces the Browns to account for another body who can win outside and work the intermediate middle. For a quarterback who thrives on rhythm and second-reaction throws, that extra look is the difference between a contested down and a completed one.
The opponent supplies its own extra layer. This is a revenge game for Mayfield. Cleveland drafted him first overall in 2018, then watched the relationship fray through injuries, coaching changes, and public second-guessing.
He left, found stability in Tampa Bay, and has rebuilt his reputation as a starter who can win. Facing the Browns at home is not just another Week 2 date. It is a chance to show the organization that moved on from him what the version of Baker Mayfield looks like when he has time, trust, and weapons.
McMillan will not be asked to carry the offense on his first snap of 2026.
The Buccaneers will manage his workload as he works back from the knee. Even so, his availability gives Mayfield one more reason to believe the passing game can look different than it did in Cincinnati.
For a quarterback who has made a career of proving people wrong, getting that third receiver back on the field against his former team is more than a depth-chart footnote. It is the kind of small edge that can turn a home opener into a statement.
