It's a thumbs up for Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield will make his return for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, coach Todd Bowles told reporters Friday.
"It looked good for him," Bowles said after Friday's practice, "so he looks like he's ready to go."
The veteran quarterback, who's missed the Bucs' previous three games due to a dislocated right (throwing) thumb, is officially listed as questionable to play.
A full participant throughout the practice week, Mayfield has been trending toward a return.
However, Mayfield won't have receiver Emeka Egbuka and right tackle Luke Goedeke, who have been ruled out.
Mayfield's return comes in what could be viewed as a very early make-or-break contest for Tampa Bay.
After starting 0-3 with Mayfield prior to his injury, the Buccaneers have collected one win without him and undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels filling in admirably. At 1-5, the Bucs currently reside in the NFC South cellar, trailing the first-place Panthers (3-2), Atlanta Falcons (2-4) and New Orleans Saints (2-4). Chances for an NFC South team to earn an NFC wild-card spot are increasingly slim, so for Tampa Bay to remain in contention for the division title, a victory on Sunday is crucial.
Mayfield will be sporting a glove on his throwing hand, which could take some getting used to.
Regardless of his new equipment, Mayfield will need to improve his play pre-injury if the Bucs are to move forward. He posted just two touchdowns in his three starts with 205 yards per game, two interceptions and an 80.0 passer rating.
Some good news for Mayfield is that he'll face a Panthers defense ranked 25th in yards allowed. The Panthers and Buccaneers were tied in the win-loss column at the end of last season at 8-9, but Carolina -- despite losing to Tampa Bay in the season finale -- went to the playoffs on a tiebreaker as the division champion.
Mayfield's answered the most prevailing question this week for the Bucs: Will he return?
Now he'll look to answer the quandaries as to whether he can return to past peak form and save Tampa Bay's season, starting when the Bucs kick off against the host Panthers at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
