Andy Backstrom Contributing writer Wed, October 21, 2026 at 9:06 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Wednesday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield practiced for the first time since dislocating the thumb on his throwing hand in a Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings . More specifically, Mayfield was a full participant, according to the team's injury report , which also revealed that wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is dealing with a concussion as the Buccaneers prepare for a Week 7 road game versus the Carolina Panthers.
Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters that Mayfield is "coming along fine."
"I think once he got warmed up, it started looking pretty good as practice went on," Bowles said. "So we'll continue to monitor and see how he goes through the week."
Later, Bowles was asked when he anticipates making the call on Mayfield possibly playing against the Panthers on Sunday.
"I'll see what he looks like Friday, and I'll find out then," the fifth-year Bucs frontman said.
Mayfield wore a glove on his throwing hand throughout the entirety of Wednesday's practice, Bowles confirmed.
Bowles said Mayfield told him it felt fine and that he's done it once before. The two-time Pro Bowler's return has hinged on his ability to properly grip the football following the injury he sustained on the follow-through of an interception he tossed against the Vikings .
At first, a three-week absence was expected, but then an ESPN report surfaced on Oct. 4 that suggested Mayfield could be sidelined up to six weeks .
So the three-week timeline reportedly was the best-case scenario for the Bucs. Now 1-5, Tampa Bay is fortunate that Mayfield's recovery may be unfolding that way.
Bowles explained, though, that the Bucs will have to take a wait-and-see approach to this week.
"We got to see how he comes out of it and, after a day, how the thumb responds," he said.
Both Mayfield and backup Jalon Daniels understand the game plan and are preparing, Bowles noted, when asked about splitting the reps between them.
Bowles also mentioned that it was encouraging to see Mayfield do the things the Tampa Bay staff wanted him to do on Wednesday.
Mayfield dealt with an array of injuries amid the 2025 season, most notably one to his non-throwing shoulder last November.
He played banged up, suiting up for all 17 games of the Bucs' 8-9 campaign. A reporter inquired Wednesday about how Bowles and Co. will weigh sending Mayfield out there if he's not 100%.
"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 the 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 know whether you want to play him or not."
If Mayfield isn't ready to go for Sunday's game, Daniels will continue to start in his place. The undrafted rookie quarterbacked Tampa Bay to a "Thursday Night Football" win over the Dallas Cowboys in his second career start.
Daniels, who appeared in 49 games across six seasons at Kansas, has completed 61.2% of his passes over his first four outings with the Bucs. He's thrown for 501 yards, ran for 126 more and posted a 3:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 1-2 record along the way.
He and Tampa Bay blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week and wound up losing in overtime .
Source: Sports
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