TAMPA - Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since dislocating his right thumb in a Week Three game against Minnesota, with Head Coach Todd Bowles calling the session encouraging but stopping short of naming a starter for this weekend’s game at Carolina.
Mayfield, who had started 57 consecutive games since joining the Buccaneers before the injury, was seen wearing a white glove on his throwing hand during the portion of practice open to media. Bowles said Mayfield kept the glove on throughout the session and reported positive feedback from the quarterback on how it felt.
“I think he’s coming along fine,” Bowles said. “Once he got warmed up he started looking pretty good as practice went on. We’ll continue to monitor him and see how he goes through the week. It was encouraging to see him do the things we wanted him to do.”
Bowles said Mayfield had worn a similar glove before and was comfortable with it. “He said it felt good,” Bowles said. “He’s done it one time before, so he said it felt okay.”
The coach drew a distinction between this injury and the shoulder and accumulated ailments that hampered Mayfield through the second half of last season, when the Buccaneers’ offense slumped amid injuries to the offensive line and receiving corps. “I think it’s a different injury,” Bowles said. “This one’s a thumb. You can kind of gauge it off how he throws and how he feels and how he takes snaps under center and how he feels afterwards. I think that’s kind of a different deal than a shoulder and the bruises and all those things he’s kind of added up to. This one, you can see flat out and you can kind of know whether you want to play him or not.”
In Mayfield’s absence, rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels has made three consecutive starts. Bowles said he expects to have enough information to name a starter by Friday, after two additional practices, with how Mayfield’s hand responds to Thursday’s workload serving as a key factor.
“It’s extremely important,” Bowles said of the timeline. “You’ve got to have the quarterback get the mental reps and play, and everybody’s got to understand who’s under center and what kind of game plan we have.”
Bowles plans to make the final call on his starter Friday, ahead of the Buccaneers’ road game at Carolina.