Baker Mayfield deemed 'ready to go' for Buccaneers' game at Panthers

On Thursday, Baker Mayfield practiced and spoke like a quarterback who would be returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' starting lineup for when the 1-5 Buccaneers play at the 3-2 Carolina Panthers this coming Sunday.

While speaking with reporters on Friday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles confirmed some expected news. 

Buccaneers get Baker Mayfield back

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter and others, Bowles told reporters that Mayfield "looks like he’s ready to go" and will get the start against the Panthers barring an unexpected setback. 

Mayfield hasn't played since he suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand in Week 3. While undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels performed admirably amid Mayfield's absences and helped the Buccaneers earn a 24-16 upset win at the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 8, Daniels was intercepted twice and took five sacks in Tampa Bay's 26-19 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 18. 

Baker Mayfield got help from the Tampa Bay Rays

Meanwhile, Greg Auman of Fox Sports revealed that Mayfield and the Buccaneers got some help from the Tampa Bay Rays amid the Rays' ongoing journey to the World Series. 

"Cool backstory on Baker Mayfield's new glove -- Bucs reached out to Nike, who had made a custom protective glove for Mike Trout, but that wasn't thumb-specific," Auman shared via X (formerly known as Twitter). "That led them to the Rays, who (in the midst of pennant push) sent an equipment staffer over to [the] Bucs facility, met with Mayfield [and] helped make a custom glove. They even brought over three more of them right before getting on the plane to Milwaukee. 'Team Tampa Bay' is much more than just wishing each other good luck here."

On Thursday, Mayfield acknowledged that he was still working "to get used to" throwing while wearing the protective glove. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Bowles and Co. felt that Mayfield looked "functional" during midweek practices. 

Shortly after Bowles gave his update, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Buccaneers as three-point road underdogs against the Panthers. It's unclear whether or not the outcome of Sunday's game will impact Tampa Bay's plans regarding the Nov. 10 trade deadline.