Baker Mayfield’s thumb is healing, and there’s at least a chance Tampa Bay gets its starting quarterback back in Week 6 against Pittsburgh. But even with that update, the Buccaneers still aren’t being treated like the team to beat.
NFL insider James Palmer reported that Mayfield is pushing to play Sunday after sitting out the last two games with a dislocated thumb. He also noted that it’s still early in the process, with Tampa Bay’s medical staff needing to clear him before anything becomes official.
"Coach Baker Mayfield could return to player Baker Mayfield next week against the Steelers. 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…"
Mayfield was initially expected to miss at least three weeks, and potentially as many as six, after the injury. That timeline makes his availability for Sunday far from certain, even if he is making a push to get back on the field.
While Mayfield has been out, undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels has handled the offense over the last two games and helped Tampa Bay pick up its first win of the season in Week 5. The Bucs sit at 1-4 and remain a long shot to reach the playoffs, but the offense has at least shown some life with Daniels under center.
That improvement has been modest, but it’s there. Tampa Bay moved from No. 32 in EPA/Play through three weeks to No. 26 through five weeks, and Bucky Irving plus the running game finally got rolling in Thursday’s upset of Dallas.
Still, the betting market isn’t buying a big Buccaneers move yet. DraftKings Sportsbook left Pittsburgh as a three-point road favorite after the Mayfield update, with no change from the opening number. Tampa Bay has covered the spread only once this season, in its win over the Cowboys, and the line would likely look a lot different if Mayfield were expected to play.
If Mayfield does get the green light, that would be a notable boost for a Tampa Bay team trying to claw back into relevance. In three games this season, he has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 615 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while also adding 11 carries for 65 yards and a rushing score.
For now, the biggest question is whether he gets back on the practice field this week and gives himself a shot to play Sunday. If he does, the line should start to shift Tampa Bay’s way, even if only a little.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
In Other News...
Jalon Daniels Showed The Bucs Something They May Need Soon
Jalon Daniels gave Tampa Bay a useful glimpse of what its offense can look like when the quarterback keeps plays alive and makes the defense account for more than just the first read. Against Dallas, Daniels showed strong situational awareness on his opening drive and added the kind of mobility that can stress a defense in a hurry, while the Buccaneers also got a boost from the play design and in-game adjustments put together by offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
The encouraging part for Tampa Bay is that Daniels did not need the offense to be perfect for it to move. He helped extend drives, found openings downfield and made the Cowboys defend every inch of the field, which is the sort of versatility that can matter when a game tightens up later in the season. The bigger question now is how much of that package the Buccaneers can count on when they need it most. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Just Found What Could Steady This Season
The Buccaneers spent the first month of the 2026 season fighting through offensive problems that seemed to touch everything, from quarterback play to the protection in front of him. Then came a cleaner performance against Dallas, one that gave Tampa Bay a much better template to lean on as it tries to settle down its season.
The biggest difference was up front, where the offensive line held together far better and allowed Bucky Irving to find room on the ground while rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels was under much less duress. For a team that has been searching for stability, that kind of protection can change the feel of the whole offense, and it may be the clearest sign yet of what the Buccaneers need to build around moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Offensive Core Suddenly Carries A Roster Question Fans Can't Ignore
PewterReportTV has added a new wrinkle to the Buccaneers conversation with Bucs Cap Convo, a video series built around salary cap analysis from expert Josh Queipo. In a recent episode, Queipo and Scott Reynolds dug into the kind of roster questions that tend to surface when a team is trying to balance present-day hopes with long-term flexibility, using Tampa Bays situation as the backdrop.
The discussion centered on what kind of return the Buccaneers might be able to get for certain players based on talent, production, salary and years of team control. It also naturally pointed ahead to a possible Week 9 deadline scenario, when the front office could be forced to make hard decisions if the season slips out of playoff contention and the market starts to matter as much as the standings. [Read more 🡒]