Baker Mayfield injury update: not quite ready to return for Week 6 vs. Steelers

Baker Mayfield is not quite ready to return from his dislocated right thumb, according to Buccaneers offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

What happened

Mayfield was scheduled to throw on Wednesday to test whether his thumb had healed enough to grip the football and run the offense, but Robinson said things have not progressed to that point yet. “He’s doing everything he can,” Robinson said. “I know he wanted to play in this game so badly. . . . The timing on these things, you just never really know. Trying to get stuff going on Monday and it’s just not quite ready.”

Context

Mayfield has played three games this season, totaling 615 passing yards, two touchdown passes, two interceptions, 65 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown for 37.1 PPR points. He dislocated his right thumb at the end of the Buccaneers’ Week 3 game against the Minnesota Vikings and has missed the last two weeks.

Timeline

On October 8, it was reported that Mayfield was expected to be out several more weeks due to the thumb injury and that he had been ruled out for Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys. On October 15, it was reported that Mayfield would test his injured right thumb with a throwing session on Wednesday afternoon and that he was expected to be out a minimum of three weeks, which had reached two weeks at that point. Head coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield was “getting better” and would be evaluated after the throwing session, but that he would not serve as an emergency backup and “if he’s not 100 percent, he doesn’t need to play.”

Depth chart

Jalon Daniels, the Buccaneers’ QB1 on the depth chart, has played three games this season with 337 passing yards, two touchdown passes, three interceptions, 87 rushing yards and 27.2 PPR points. Easton Stick is listed fourth with no games played this season.

What’s next

The Buccaneers host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, October 18. Daniels is set to make his second straight start after completing 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown in last Thursday’s win over the Cowboys.