All indications are that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is expected to return in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers after dislocating his thumb. Mayfield admitted that he plans to wear a glove that has a pad on it to protect his thumb.
“They stitched a pad on the back side of the thumb to protect the thumb from bending backwards again,” admitted Mayfield on the plan for Sunday.
Mayfield noted that there is a notable difference playing with a glove.
“Truly, when you are throwing with a glove, you have to get used to it,” said Mayfield. “Changing your release points; can’t grip it as hard because it will stick to the glove.”
The Bucs quarterback admitted that the only thing he is focused on right now is getting as many reps with the glove as he can. He noted that the more he gets used to throwing with a glove the more confident he is.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Get Baker Mayfield Back from Injury in Week 7
Mayfield noted that he has no concerns for his thumb when it comes to throwing the ball. His bigger concern was handling the ball under center and the impact of the ball being snapped into his thumb.
He added that he feels fine throwing the football and has no issues gripping the ball. However, that was not the same case last week. Mayfield admitted that he hoped to return in Week 6. However, he felt that he was not ready, and that he had to pass the baton to backup Jalon Daniels.
“My goal was Pittsburgh,” stated Mayfield on his potential return. “I really pushed the limit with it. “Didn’t feel like I was going to put our team in position to have success.”
The Bucs franchise quarterback added that being on the sidelines is rare for him.
“I never really miss time because of injury; it’s not fun,” said Mayfield
However, in the past, he played through injuries and was not performing at his best. It ended up costing his team. This time, he took the extra week to ensure he was fully healthy.
Bucs Need Mayfield to Play Better
Mayfield signed a three-year, $165M extension this offseason. However, his play through the first three weeks did not resemble a player with that type of price tag.
Mayfield was still completing 64% of his passes. However, his yards per attempt was down to 6.4, which is currently a career low. Mayfield has as many touchdowns as he does interceptions.
Worse than that, he has fumbled three times. One led to a score; another took a potential score off the board for the Bucs.
Mayfield waiting to return until he is fully healthy makes sense given how poorly he started the year. Now, they need to get their franchise quarterback back to playing his best.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield Reveals Change Ahead of Week 7 Return