The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without quarterback Baker Mayfield for several weeks as he recovers from a dislocated thumb he suffered in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Mayfield underwent an MRI on Monday to determine the full extent of the injury and the Buccaneers received some relatively positive news, with Mayfield avoiding any additional ligament damage. While the MRI results were encouraging, Mayfield is still expected to miss at least three weeks as he recovers from the injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield will miss "at least" three weeks with thumb injury
Todd Bowles spoke to reporters on Monday and provided an injury update on his quarterback.
"It's consistent with everything we thought it was, dislocation. Right now, we're probably talking a minimum of three weeks," Bowles said.
Bowles added that ndrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will take over as the starting quarterback in Mayfield's absence, and the Buccaneers will look to add a veteran presence to the active roster or practice squad for additional depth. Bowles has the utmost confidence in Daniels' ability to operate the offense while Mayfield is sidelined.
"He played well in the preseason. He's very bright. He's not going to be out there by himself, there will be 22 other guys out there helping him out, so, we just expect him to his job and play at a high level as he expects of himself."
Already 0-3, Tampa Bay must now navigate a tough stretch against the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, and Pittsburgh Steelers without its franchise quarterback. The leaders in the locker room need to step up, keep everyone bought in, and prevent this season from spiraling even further before Mayfield can return.
This season has been an utter disaster for Mayfield after signing a three-year, $165 million extension this offseason -- the largest contract in franchise history. Through three games before his injury, Mayfield has three total touchdowns compared to five total turnovers. He's been sacked 14 times, more than any other quarterback in the NFL.
Despite his struggles, losing Mayfield is a brutal blow to this locker room. Mayfield is the unquestioned leader of the Buccaneers and the heart and soul of the franchise. The team feeds off his energy and rallies around him, and now they must go to battle without their quarterback.
Whenever he returns from injury, the Buccaneers need Mayfield to come back as the franchise quarterback they believed was worth a record-setting contract -- not the version that has struggled to win games or protect the football through the first three weeks.
This setback is just another challnege for Mayfield to overcome, but if there's one thing Buccaneers fans know about their quarterback, it's that he won't shy away from it.
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