The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first game of the 2026 season, beating the Dallas Cowboys 24-16. While they won with their backup quarterback, Jalon Daniels, their starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield, might end up returning from his dislocated thumb injury earlier than anticipated.
James Palmer of Amazon Prime tweeted that Mayfield is going to push to return for the Buccaneers Week 6 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Coach Baker Mayfield could return to player Baker Mayfield next week against the Steelers,” tweeted Palmer. “I’m told Mayfield is pushing to play but it’s 10 days out and it’s too early for the Bucs to know medically if he can go. The stitches were taken out Monday and it’s a matter of his thumb healing, pain tolerance, and gripping the football. The medical staff obviously has a big say if he goes.”
The initial report after the Mayfield injury was that he would miss about three weeks. However, after the initial report surfaced, another came up noting that the injury is going to be three weeks at a minimum and could be up to six weeks.
However, that same report noted that it would be about pain tolerance for Mayfield. So, it was easy to suggest that he would be back before the latest date. Now, there is a chance Mayfield is going to return before the earliest potential time.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Could Get Baker Mayfield Back Next Week
Mayfield has been known to come back from injuries at the earliest time or even while he is injured. However, this has ended up hurting him in the past.
In 2020, Mayfield and the Browns went 11-5 and won a playoff game. He had 26 touchdowns to eight interceptions. In 2021, he tried to play through a shoulder injury. The Browns went 6-8 when he started, and he had 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.
Last year, the Bucs started the season 6-2, and he had 13 touchdowns to two interceptions. Then, he got hurt and tried to play through it. The Bucs finished the year 2-7, and he had 13 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
Mayfield has shown that he is tough enough to play through injury. He has not shown that he has the talent to overcome them.
Bucs Could Give Jalon Daniels One More Week
Mayfield is going to push to play, and the Bucs’ season will be on the line in Week 6. However, Daniels has played well enough to be trusted over an injured quarterback. He is 1-1 as a starter this year with a 69% completion rate. He does have two touchdowns to three interceptions. Still, he has also added 87 rushing yards.
He has kept the team afloat in the past two weeks and helped them win a crucial game. The Bucs play the Carolina Panthers in Carolina Week 7. That is a more important game for Tampa Bay given the division implications.
The Bucs’ best bet is to let Mayfield sit one more week, try to win in Pittsburgh with Daniels, then have Mayfield return fully healthy for a division clash. We will see if that is the plan.
Baker Mayfield Could Return to Bucs Sooner Than Expected