TAMPA — Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield will take the field Saturday evening against the Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium for his first preseason action in two years, Head Coach Todd Bowles confirmed.
“He is included in that group,” Bowles said of the starters slated to play in the second preseason game. Mayfield is entering his fourth season as Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback. The last time he saw August game action, against the Dolphins in 2024, he completed all three of his passes for 54 yards while leading a game-opening touchdown drive before calling it a night.
If last year’s pattern holds, Saturday will be the only preseason action Mayfield and most starters see. Bowles did not play Mayfield in any of the three preseason games last season, even though a number of starters appeared in the middle contest.
The Buccaneers enter the game with momentum after a 24-16 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium in their preseason opener. Undrafted rookie outside linebacker Jack Pyburn out of LSU stole the show with two sacks in 25 defensive snaps. “He did a heck of a job last night,” Bowles said. “He showed up with the lights on. He’s a solid player. He doesn’t get much run with all the other guys playing — you’ve got Bain there and Muhammad there, as well as David Walker and all those other guys. You don’t hear about him much but he got a chance to play last night and he showed everybody who he was. He’s a hard-worker, he comes off the ball hard and you look forward to seeing more, how he put his whole game together last night.”
Pyburn was far from the only undrafted rookie to impress. Quarterback Jalon Daniels directed two second-half scoring drives, capping one with a one-yard touchdown run. Cornerback Ayden Garnes returned an interception off Cade Klubnik 47 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 10 in the second quarter. Wide receiver Dean Patterson led the team with five catches, including a third-and-six conversion that kept the final touchdown drive alive. Running back Josh Williams scored on a 12-yard run in the third quarter, capping a 12-play, 80-yard drive.
“I mean, that’s huge,” Bowles said of the undrafted group’s performance. “That’s the part that goes unseen and you never hear about these guys. I think Jason and his staff do a great job doing the little things and finding the right guys. And that’s hard to do in free agency with the money going everywhere and guys being picked by every team. But to find the right guys for our team and trust them to learn the system, and the coaches putting them to work and putting them in the right position, I think it’s a great collaboration.”
Tampa Bay’s offseason priority of building a more impactful edge rush led to the free agent signing of Al-Quadin Muhammad, an 11-sack player in Detroit last season, and the first-round selection of Miami Hurricane pass rusher Rueben Bain. Those two join incumbent sack leader Yaya Diaby and second-year outside linebacker David Walker, whom Bowles has called the biggest star of camp. All four sat out the Jets game with the rest of the starters.
Daniels, the undrafted free agent out of Kansas, said the preseason opener fulfilled a lifelong ambition. “I wouldn’t even say excited is the word for it,” Daniels said. “I mean, it’s a dream come true to be able to play at this level, playing professional football. I mean, I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid. Being able to go out there and be able to play some NFL football Friday, it means the world.”
Saturday’s game against the Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium will be the Buccaneers’ second of three preseason contests, with Mayfield and the starting offense expected to see limited action before yielding to the reserves.