The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went into Wednesday hoping for a sign that Baker Mayfield was close. Mayfield has missed two games with a dislocated thumb, and the plan was for him to test it in a throwing session ahead of Sunday’s home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Raymond James Stadium.
So, will Mayfield return against the Steelers? It doesn’t look that way. He wasn’t practicing Wednesday, and head coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield hasn’t resumed throwing yet. Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels is preparing to make his third straight start.
Where Mayfield’s thumb stands
Kim Klement Neitzel - Imagn Images
There has been progress. Bowles said Mayfield is now wearing a smaller splint, and the Bucs want to see whether he can grip a football this week, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. But the plan, Stroud reported, is to go with Daniels against Pittsburgh.
Bowles has been clear that he won’t rush it. “If he’s not 100 percent, he doesn’t need to play,” he said this week. A quarterback who can’t grip the ball firmly is a fumble and accuracy risk, and Tampa Bay can’t afford to lose Mayfield for longer by bringing him back too soon.
What Daniels has shown the Buccaneers
Daniels has kept Tampa Bay afloat. He is 1-1 as a starter, losing 17-14 to Green Bay before leading a 24-16 win in Dallas last Thursday. Against the Cowboys, he threw for 189 yards and a touchdown and played all 72 snaps, earning a 66.5 passing grade from PFF.
The Bucs built that win around the run game. Bucky Irving had 21 carries and led the offense with a 79.9 overall grade, according to PFF. Expect the same recipe against Pittsburgh, with Irving carrying the load and Daniels managing the game around Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin and Cade Otton.
When Mayfield could return
The next real checkpoint is whether Mayfield throws at all before the weekend. If he does, the Week 7 trip to Carolina becomes the realistic target. If he still can’t grip the ball by next week, the conversation shifts to how long Daniels holds the job.
At 1-4, the Bucs need wins, but they need a healthy Mayfield for the rest of the season more than they need him this Sunday.
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