Baker Mayfield out, Jalon Daniels starts vs. Steelers

Hopes that Baker might push through on Sunday ended Thursday morning, when he still wasn't on the practice field.

Greg Auman

@gregauman

Still no Baker Mayfield at practice, so that should end any talk of him trying to play Sunday. Jalon Daniels preparing for his third NFL start at home against the Steelers.

Mayfield is working back from a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. All week the question was whether he could grip a ball well enough to make it close. He couldn't. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson put it about as gently as you can, and he added something that tells you how unusual this is for Baker.

Greg Auman

@gregauman

Zac Robinson said Baker Mayfield’s thumb is “just not quite ready” this week but he’s working to get back, missing games with injury for essentially the first time in his life.

Bowles made it official Friday. Mayfield and Winfield are out. Everyone else is available, and running back Sean Tucker is a pregame decision. Bowles was also short when asked about Mayfield's throwing session on Wednesday, which is usually a sign there isn't much good news to share. His bar for feeling encouraged is simple: Baker has to show up at practice with his helmet.

Greg Auman

@gregauman

Todd Bowles had very little to say about Baker Mayfield attempting to throw Wednesday. "No more update than the usual: not ready to go." Encouraged by any progress? "(I'll be) encouraged when he has his helmet out there at practice." Is next week in play? "Too early to tell."

'Too early to tell' is the line Bucs fans will take into the weekend. It means this isn't a matter of Baker sitting out one more week to be safe. Nobody, Bowles included, is promising a date. The longer it drags on, the more Tampa's season sits with an undrafted rookie.

To be fair, Daniels has held up. He's 1-1 in his 2 starts and beat the Cowboys last Thursday. For a guy who wasn't drafted and was supposed to be holding a clipboard this fall, that's real. The Steelers are a step up, though, and Pittsburgh's defense will make him prove he can keep the ball out of trouble for 4 quarters.

Behind Daniels the depth is thin. Easton Stick looks like the logical practice-squad call-up at QB on Sunday, and safety J.J. Roberts is expected to come up too, which makes sense with Winfield out of the secondary again. If Tucker can't go, Josh Williams could be in play at running back.

Greg Auman

@gregauman

Seems like Bucs are in line to have QB Easton Stick and S J.J. Roberts as logical practice-squad elevations Sunday. If Sean Tucker is a question mark, could see Josh Williams in play.

Next up is simple to track. Daniels gets the Steelers at home on Sunday, and once that's over, the question is whether Mayfield has a helmet on at practice next week. Until Bowles sees that, this is the Jalon Daniels show, and Tampa has to hope a rookie can buy its quarterback enough time to get the thumb right.