Baker Mayfield returns to Buccaneers practice with glove on throwing hand

Baker Mayfield returned to Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice Wednesday wearing a glove on his right throwing hand, and Todd Bowles called the quarterback’s work encouraging. The session offered the first on-field indication this week that Mayfield could move toward a return against the Carolina Panthers, though the team has not named him the starter.

Bowles told reporters Mayfield was effective in practice and comfortable throwing with the glove, according to Rick Stroud. The injury involves the hand Mayfield uses to grip and deliver the ball. An encouraging first session is progress, not proof that he is ready to take every game snap; the Buccaneers still need to evaluate how his thumb responds over the rest of the practice week.

Tampa Bay has used Jalon Daniels while Mayfield has been out, so this is a live quarterback decision rather than merely a veteran getting extra work at practice. Mayfield’s ability to throw with the glove gives the club something concrete to evaluate before it chooses its Week 7 starter.

The Panthers game is the immediate test of that progress. Wednesday establishes that Mayfield was able to participate and that Bowles liked what he saw; it does not yet establish how much work Mayfield can handle later in the week or whether he will return to the lineup Sunday. Tampa Bay’s next practice should provide a better read on whether this first step carries forward.