TAMPA - Baker Mayfield will practice Wednesday for the first time since dislocating his throwing thumb in Week Three, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set to evaluate the quarterback ahead of a critical NFC South road game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte.
Mayfield was given an initial prognosis of a minimum of three weeks when he suffered the injury against Minnesota, and he has now missed three consecutive games. Head Coach Todd Bowles said the team will assess Mayfield’s grip strength and throwing velocity before deciding whether he or rookie Jalon Daniels will start in Week Seven.
“He’s supposed to practice Wednesday,” Bowles said. “We’re going to take a good look at him there and then we’ll kind of evaluate him during the week and see how he does.”
Bowles said the team cannot afford to prepare only one quarterback heading into the week. “Both will be in the meetings,” he said. “We’ll see how the week goes before we decide who it is.”
Daniels, a rookie, is 1-2 in three starts filling in for Mayfield. His most recent outing ended in an overtime loss to Pittsburgh, in which Tampa Bay held a 16-3 lead entering the fourth quarter before falling 26-19. Across his three starts, plus a handful of snaps at the end of the Minnesota game, Daniels has completed 60 of 98 passes for 501 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions, while also rushing 20 times for 126 yards.
The stakes in Charlotte are high. The Panthers currently lead the NFC South, and Bowles said after Sunday’s loss that the Buccaneers have no margin for error in the division race. “It’s critical,” Bowles said of the upcoming contest. “It’s a step to trying to get back in it. The guys that you’ve got to play are ahead of you right now, so it’s going to be critical that we win these games.”
The Buccaneers’ two-hour midday practice Wednesday will provide the first concrete indication of whether Mayfield can return to game action this week.