Published October 21, 2026 01:54 PM
As the practice week begins, it appears Baker Mayfield has a chance to return for Sunday’s game against the Panthers.
But that is not guaranteed.
After missing the last three games due to a dislocated right thumb, Mayfield was on the practice field splitting reps with Jalon Daniels on Wednesday. Mayfield wore a glove on his right hand throughout the session.
“I think he’s coming along fine,” head coach Todd Bowles said in his Wednesday press conference. “I think once he got warmed up, it started looking pretty good as practice went on. So, we’ll continue to monitor and see how he goes through the week.”
Bowles added Mayfield felt fine throwing with the glove.
“He said it felt good. He’s done it one time before, so he said it felt OK,” Bowles said.
The decision as to whether or not Mayfield will start will likely come on Friday, Bowles noted.
“See what he looks like Friday and I’ll find out then,” Bowles said.
While Mayfield has played through injuries before, Bowles noted this situation is a bit different given its nature.
“This one is a thumb — you can kind of gauge it off of how he throws, and how he feels, and how he takes snaps under center, and how he feels afterwards,” Bowles said. “I think that’s kind of a different deal than the shoulder and the bruises and all those things. … This one you can see flat out and you can kind of know if you want to play him or not.”
Mayfield got off to a poor start this season, completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 615 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions, and three lost fumbles in the first three games. He also took 13 sacks, going down on 11.9 percent of his dropbacks.
If Mayfield is a full participant at practice at any point this week, that would be a signal that he’s likely to start against Carolina in Week 7.
Tampa Bay’s first injury report of the week is due out later on Wednesday.