{"id":418563,"date":"2026-10-04T16:34:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T16:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/418563\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T16:34:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T16:34:35","slug":"nfl-insiders-latest-update-adds-a-key-detail-to-baker-mayfields-injury-recovery-and-it-could-mean-tough-sledding-for-the-bucs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/418563\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL insider’s latest update adds a key detail to Baker Mayfield’s injury recovery, and it could mean tough sledding for the Bucs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\tHome<\/a><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNFL<\/a><\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a><\/p>\n

The Bucs\u2019 franchise QB could be on the shelf for significantly longer than the time frame the team was hoping for. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSep 27, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) walks off the field after an injury during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Raymond James Stadium.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMatt Pendleton-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Bucs\u2019 rough start to the 2026 season was soured even further late last Sunday during Tampa Bay\u2019s 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. QB Baker Mayfield hit hit thumb on the follow throw of a desperation fourth down toss, resulting in a dislocated thumb that had him down on the ground screaming in pain. <\/p>\n

Todd Bowles gave an initial diagnosis on Monday<\/a> that Mayfield would be out a minimum of three weeks. According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, that time frame could potentially be doubled. <\/p>\n

Schefter\u2019s Sunday morning update noted that Mayfield\u2019s ability to return hinges on his ability to grip the football, and that it could take three to six weeks for him to reach that ability.<\/p>\n

ESPN insider Adam Schefter said Mayfield could be out 3-6 weeks depending on when he can properly grip the ball<\/p>\n

\u201cSources told ESPN that Mayfield is dealing with a dislocated thumb that is expected to sideline the star quarterback anywhere from three to six weeks, depending on how quickly he is able to grip the football,\u201d Schefter wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, it\u2019s hard to predict when that will be, but three weeks without Mayfield is the Bucs\u2019 best hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three weeks being the Bucs\u2019 best hope isn\u2019t anything earth shattering, but being out potentially up to six weeks due to an inability to grab the football is certainly concerning for a number of reasons. <\/p>\n

First, the Bucs obviously may have to ride with an undrafted free agent rookie for that time or find a way to scramble and trade for or sign a veteran backup to spot start over that span, depending on how Daniels does on Sunday against Green Bay. Riding with a rookie who\u2019s unable to handle the job over six weeks basically spells doom for the season, even in a poor NFC South. <\/p>\n

But even if Mayfield can return and grip the football, will that grip be weak? Will there be an effect on his ability to complete his throwing motion properly and with the needed velocity? Mayfield is tough as nails and will fight through pain and injury as much as anyone in the league. That\u2019s noble, but fighting through something that\u2019s going to compromise his ability to perform is also quite suboptimal.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tough situation in a season with jobs potentially on the line, particularly that of Bowles. But Mayfield can only come back when he\u2019s ready. The question is, will there be anything left to play for by then? <\/p>\n

\"Play<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"The\t\t<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Buccaneers News<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBuccaneers hit with surprising injury to key player that can certainly help the Packers beat Tampa Bay in Week 4\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The Buccaneers watched one of their defenders go down in practice this week and it leaves them without a player that would come in handy against a talented Packers receiver group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Home \/ NFL \/ Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Bucs\u2019 franchise QB could be on the shelf for significantly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418564,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[9909,165530,10997,135,2964,137,136],"class_list":["post-418563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-baker-mayfield-injury","tag-bucs-news","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}