The Buccaneers left Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings with more than just a 0-3 record to worry about. Baker Mayfield suffered a dislocated right thumb late in the game, putting the status of Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback in question moving forward.
The biggest concern is that the injury is to Mayfield’s throwing hand. He suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter when his hand collided with Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman as he released a pass. Mayfield immediately grabbed his hand and eventually went to the locker room. Initial X-rays did not reveal a fracture, which is encouraging, but Mayfield is expected to undergo an MRI to determine whether there is ligament damage and how much time he could potentially miss. The timetable
can vary significantly with a dislocated thumb. If Mayfield avoided major ligament damage, he could potentially return within a couple of weeks. A more serious ligament injury could keep him out several weeks and possibly require surgery. Until the MRI results come back, there is no official timetable for his return.
The Bucs are already 0-3 and cannot afford to fall any further behind early in the season. Even a short absence could force Tampa Bay to navigate important games without the quarterback who has started every game for the franchise since arriving in 2023. If Mayfield cannot play, rookie Jalon Daniels would likely be the next man up. Daniels replaced Mayfield late against Minnesota and showed plenty of promise throughout the preseason, but asking an undrafted rookie quarterback to keep a season alive is a much different challenge.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: How much time could Baker Mayfield miss with dislocated thumb?
