Overview
- Mayfield missed three games after dislocating his right thumb in Week 3 and logged full practices Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before being declared active for Sunday’s game.
- The Tampa Bay Rays equipment staff built a custom protective glove for Mayfield by modifying a wide-receiver glove and adding support, producing at least two versions: one with a hard-plastic insert and one like a soft cast.
- The Buccaneers listed several key players as inactive for the game, including wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, right tackle Luke Goedeke and safety Antoine Winfield Jr., which affects pass protection and receiving options.
- Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels started in Mayfield’s absence and led Tampa Bay to its lone win, but the team has shifted its short-term evaluation back to Mayfield now that he is available.
- Mayfield’s return raises Tampa Bay’s offensive ceiling and creates immediate questions about his comfort with the protective glove, the team’s play-calling with limited personnel, and how the quarterback room will be managed going forward.