December 4 Updates
As has been their normal procedure in the latter part of the season, the Buccaneers used their practice time on Wednesday to hold a walk-through rather than a full-speed workout. It is a concession to the growing number of players dealing with injuries as the season progresses.
One of those injured players is quarterback Baker Mayfield, who had his right leg stepped in after a sack on Sunday against the Panthers. Mayfield initially feared an Achilles injury due to the level of pain but he eventually only missed two plays before returning to the field.
On Wednesday, Head Coach Todd Bowles said that Mayfield would have been "full-go" had the Buccaneers held a normal practice. Mayfield said he is dealing with soreness in the leg but that's unsurprising given how late it is in the season.
"It's part of my job just to get ready to be able to physically play," he said. "Doing my recovery stuff, everything I need to do to get ready to play. I feel decent, still a little sore but it's Week 13 or 14 in the NFL, so [you've] gotta go."
Mayfield has started all 30 games, playoffs included, since joining the Buccaneers in 2023. When Kyle Trask briefly replaced him on Sunday while he was in the sideline medical tent, it marked the first time since Week One that Mayfield had missed any offensive snaps, and those were just a pair of kneel-down plays at the end of a 37-20 route of Washington. It sounds like Mayfield will make his 31st Buccaneer start this coming Sunday against the Raiders.
CLICK HERE to hear Coach Bowles discuss Mayfield's resiliency on this week's Total Access show.
