TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated quarterback Easton Stick and linebacker Caden Fordham from the practice squad Saturday, expanding their game-day roster to 55 players for their Week Four matchup against the Green Bay Packers as rookie Jalon Daniels prepares to make his first NFL start.
Daniels steps in for Baker Mayfield, who dislocated the thumb on his right hand late in the Week Three contest against the Minnesota Vikings and is expected to miss a minimum of three weeks. The injury ends Mayfield’s streak of 57 consecutive starts for the Buccaneers, postseason included.
Stick will serve as the backup to Daniels on Sunday. Signed to the Buccaneers’ practice squad on August 31, Stick brings familiarity with the offense - he worked last season with Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson when the two were together with the Atlanta Falcons. A fifth-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019, Stick has appeared in six career games with four starts, completing 111 of 174 passes for a 63.8 completion percentage, 1,129 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and an 85.7 passer rating.
Fordham, a North Carolina State product, is in line to contribute primarily on special teams. He led all NFL players with four solo tackles in kick coverage during three preseason games in August, adding 10 tackles and two tackles for loss on defense. In his final college season in 2025, Fordham ranked second in the nation with 143 tackles and earned third-team Associated Press All-America honors, finishing with 3.5 sacks, 10.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions, three passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His role Sunday could expand if linebacker SirVocea Dennis, listed as questionable on the Friday injury report with a calf injury, is unable to play.
Fordham’s path to Sunday’s roster was not straightforward. He signed with Tampa Bay as a rookie free agent in May and made the initial 53-man roster after the league-wide cutdown on August 30, but was waived September 2 to make room for cornerback Kevin Knowles, claimed off waivers from Kansas City. He was subsequently signed back to the practice squad.
Both elevations are the first of the season for Stick and Fordham. Under NFL rules introduced in the 2020 collective bargaining agreement, teams may elevate up to two practice squad players per game, with each player eligible for up to three regular-season elevations. Elevated players automatically revert to the practice squad after the game without passing through waivers. With both slots used, the Buccaneers will carry 55 players into Sunday’s game, keeping 48 active after naming seven inactives prior to kickoff.