Baker Mayfield is set to return to the Buccaneers lineup for Sunday’s game against the Panthers, but it looks like the quarterback will be missing one of his top targets.
Head coach Todd Bowles said on Friday, via multiple reporters, that Mayfield is “ready to go” after missing the last three games with a dislocated right thumb. Mayfield said the same on Thursday and he will wear a glove on his right hand to provide added protection.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is unlikely to join Mayfield in the lineup, however. Egbuka returned to practice on Friday after missing the first two days of the week while dealing with a concussion and Bowles said he will be listed as doubtful to play this weekend.
Right tackle Luke Goedeke also returned to practice, but Bowles said he’s out with a calf injury. Safety Antoine Winfield is also out and will miss his third straight game with a rib injury.
Panthers Clips
Baker Mayfield appears to be on track to make his return to the Buccaneers lineup in Week 7 and it looks like running back Bucky Irving is moving in the same direction.
Irving missed practice on Wednesday because of an illness and he got in a limited practice session on Thursday. Cornerback Zyon McCollum had the same upgrade after taking a sick day to kick off the practice week.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (concussion, foot) appears less likely to play. He missed practice for the second straight day, which will make it difficult for him to clear concussion protocol in time to face the Panthers.
Right tackle Luke Goedeke (calf) and linebacker Christian Rozeboom (finger) also missed a second straight practice. Safety Antoine Winfield (rib) remained a limited participant as he tries to return from missing the last two games.
Punter Riley Dixon (illness), defensive lineman Calijah Kancey (illness), guard Cody Mauch (wrist), kicker Chase McLaughlin (illness), cornerback Benjamin Morrison (quad), receiver David Sills (hamstring), linebacker Josiah Trotter (shoulder), and running back Sean Tucker (quad) were all full participants on Thursday.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield appears on track to return from a dislocated right thumb in Week 7 when Tampa Bay plays Carolina.
After he was listed as a full participant on Wednesday’s injury report, Mayfield was at the podium to speak to reporters at a Thursday press conference.
“Feel good, just improving,” Mayfield said. “Never really missed time because of injury. So, not fun. You always want to be out there with your guys. But just doing the rehab process as much as possible each and every day and trying to recover as quick as possible. And take it one day at a time. So, it’s been feeling better and better. But that’s the frustrating part. It just takes time with an injury like that.
“But we’ve gotten it to a place where it’s strong enough to be able to play,” Mayfield added.
Mayfield will be wearing a glove on his right hand with protection behind his thumb to help keep it stabilized. Mayfield mentioned that the Bucs’ medical and training staff met with folks from MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays to come up with a specific solution that works for him.
“Truly, when you’re throwing with a glove, you’ve just got to get used to it,” Mayfield said. “Just changing your release points. Can’t grip it as hard because it’ll stick to the glove — different things like that. So, just getting a lot of reps, getting practice with it, getting used to it. So, it feels fine. But, training staff, equipment guys are doing an incredible job of — we went through all the scenarios, all the different things to possibly wear, and ended up being able to stick a pad on the backside of the thumb to prevent it from bending backward again. So, they’ve done an incredible job helping me out get to where I’m at and ready to practice and go.”
Mayfield added he’s “very confident” in his ability to grip the ball and throw and doesn’t feel restricted.
“I think I was more so concerned about the impact of getting the ball from under center with Graham [Barton] sending it back there,” Mayfield said. “It feels fine gripping it and throwing it. It’s just the impact stuff, that was really what my concern was, and it’s felt great so far.”
So far this season, Mayfield has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 615 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in three games. He’s been sacked 13 times, on 11.9 percent of his dropbacks.
The Cardinals claimed offensive tackle Albert Reese off waivers on Wednesday, the team announced.
The Panthers waived the undrafted rookie on Tuesday.
The Cardinals did not announce a corresponding move.
Reese made the Panthers’ initial 53-player roster, but he was inactive for every game this season.
The Cardinals have rookie Jayden Williams at left tackle, with Paris Johnson out for the season, and Elijah Wilkinson at right tackle. Veteran Jedrick Wills recently signed with the team, but he missed practice on Wednesday with an illness.
Their other top reserve tackle is second-year man Josh Fryar.
While Bucs head coach Todd Bowles lightly implied Baker Mayfield split reps with Jalon Daniels in Wednesday’s practice, it turns out Mayfield was able to take all of his usual reps.
Tampa Bay has listed Mayfield as a full participant to start the practice week, ostensibly putting him on track to return for the Week 7 matchup against the Panthers.
Mayfield has been sidelined for the last three games by a dislocated right thumb.
Bowles noted Mayfield wore a glove on his throwing hand during Wednesday’s session.
Receiver Chris Godwin said it was good to have Mayfield back at practice on Wednesday.
“He’s the leader of our team,” Godwin said, via Greg Auman of Fox Sports. “It’s good to see him back out there throwing. He’s Bake, so I’m sure as he gets going, he’ll feel better.”
Mayfield has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 615 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions, and three lost fumbles so far this season. He’s also taken 13 sacks, going down on 11.9 percent of his dropbacks.
Receiver Emeka Egbuka (concussion/foot), offensive tackle Luke Goedeke (calf), running back Bucky Irving (illness), cornerback Zyon McCollum (illness), and linebacker Christian Rozeboom (finger) did not participate on Wednesday.
Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (illness), safety Antoine Winfield (rib), and defensive tackle Vita Vea (rest) were limited.
Punter Riley Dixon (illness), guard Cody Mauch (wrist), kicker Chase McLaughlin (illness), cornerback Benjamin Morrison (quad), receiver David Sills (hamstring), linebacker Josiah Trotter (shoulder), and running back Sean Tucker (quad) were all full.
The Panthers have released their injury report for Wednesday and it includes linebacker Jaelan Phillips as a non-participant in the team’s first practice of the week.
Wednesday’s practice was only a walkthrough, but Phillips would have been out of a full practice due to a hamstring injury. Phillips hurt his hamstring early in last Sunday’s win over the Eagles, but was able to return to the field later in the game.
Linebacker Thomas Incoom (calf) was the only other player listed as out of practice due to an injury. Running back Chuba Hubbard, linebacker Devin Lloyd, right tackle Taylor Moton, and tight end Darren Waller were all given rest days.
Quarterback Bryce Young (knee), running back AJ Dillon (ankle), offensive tackle Monroe Freeling (knee), and linebacker Bam Martin-Scott (hamstring) were all listed as full participants. Dillon and Freeling did not play last week while Martin-Scott is waiting to be activated from injured reserve.
The Commanders have brought in a veteran defensive coach to help the club during the week.
Via NFL Network, Washington has hired Steve Wilks to work with the team’s coaches under head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones.
Wilks is in the building to help with game planning during the week. Nicki Jhabvala of TheAthletic.com notes Wilks comes in on Sundays and departs after practice on Wednesdays. Additionally, Wilks was not hired in response to anything that’s happened in recent weeks, as this has been in the works since before the season started. Wilks officially began his role last week.
Wilks was most recently with the Jets last season as defensive coordinator, though he was fired in December.
A longtime pro and college coach, Wilks was notably the 49ers defensive coordinator in 2023 when the team reached the Super Bowl. The year before, he served as Panthers interim head coach after the club fired Matt Rhule, leading Carolina to a 6-6 record.
He was the Cardinals’ head coach in 2018.
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.
The Panthers have added a running back to their 53-man roster.
Carolina announced the club has signed Anthony Tyus off of its practice squad.
Tyus, 23, has been with Carolina since last season, mainly on the team’s practice squad.
He’s appeared in three games so far this season, averaging 25.4 yards on five kick returns.
Additionally, the Panthers have opened the 21-day practice window for linebacker Bam Martin-Scott, who is currently on injured reserve.
The Panthers waived offensive tackle Albert Reese, the team announced Tuesday.
The Panthers signed Reese as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State, and he made the initial 53-player roster. He has been inactive for every game this season.
Taylor Moton’s return made Reese expendable, with 11 offensive linemen on the active roster. But he could return to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
The Panthers have not made a corresponding move, leaving their roster at 52 players.
