The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading toward Sunday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers with the quarterback picture finally coming into focus.
Baker Mayfield will not be practicing Thursday, and that clears the path for undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels to make another start, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times on X, formerly Twitter. Stroud reported, “Baker Mayfield is NOT practicing today so we can stop speculating. Jalon Daniels will start vs the Steelers barring something unforeseen,”
That lines up with how the last two weeks have played out for Tampa Bay. Mayfield has been sidelined for multiple games because of an injury, opening the door for Daniels, who was pressed into action after the Buccaneers’ recent stretch. Daniels was noticeably better in his start against the Dallas Cowboys than he had been the week before against the Green Bay Packers, even if there’s still a fair question about how much Dallas’ defense helped him along.
Mayfield’s absence has stretched back to the end of the Cowboys’ loss to the Packers in Week 3, and there’s still no clear timeline for his return. The Buccaneers would surely like to get him back sooner rather than later after a rough start to the season, one marked mainly by turnovers. That shaky opening came after he signed a new massive contract with the team just days before the season.
For now, the outlook is simple: Daniels appears set to go again when Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh meet Sunday at 1:00 pm ET in Tampa Bay.
In Other News...
Bucs Face A Troubling Week 6 Health Question At The Worst Time
The Buccaneers are entering Week 6 with the sort of injury report nobody wants to see this late in the week, especially with a Steelers matchup looming. Both teams are dealing with a cluster of key health concerns, but Tampa Bays issues are the ones that stand out most because they touch both sides of the ball and come at a time when every practice rep matters.
Baker Mayfield did not practice while still recovering from the dislocated thumb he suffered in Week 3, leaving the offense with an obvious question at quarterback as preparations continue. On the other side of the defense, Antoine Winfield Jr. is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a rib injury, a setback that further complicates the secondary just as the Buccaneers try to steady themselves for a difficult stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Miss Keeps Getting Harder To Ignore As Former Pick Slips Again
Chris Braswells NFL path has taken another turn, and it only sharpens the question of what went wrong for a player the Buccaneers once invested a high second-round pick in. Tampa Bay selected the linebacker 57th overall in 2024, but he was released by the Bucs, landed on Houstons practice squad and eventually worked his way onto the Texans active roster.
The latest step is a tough one for a former premium pick trying to stick in the league. Braswell was waived by Houston, leaving him back in free-agent territory and searching for his next chance after already bouncing once from Tampa Bay to the Texans. For the Buccaneers, it is another reminder that some draft misses linger long after the original decision is made. [Read more 🡒]
Tomlin Just Twisted The Knife On Dallas After Bucs Exposed Them
The Cowboys defense has been searching for answers through the first five weeks, and the frustration spilled into a players-only meeting as the group tried to sort out what has gone wrong. For Tampa Bay, which helped expose those issues on the field, it only added another layer to a growing NFC storyline: Dallas is still trying to steady a unit that has not looked like itself, and the pressure is mounting fast.
Mike Tomlin then added to the noise with a blunt take on players-only meetings during a podcast appearance, casting doubt on whether they ever fix much at all. It was the kind of comment that lands harder when a defense is already on edge, and Dallas now heads into its Week 6 matchup with Green Bay needing more than just another conversation to show real progress. [Read more 🡒]