The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first injury report of Week 10 brings an indication that, while the team's Week Nine bye was definitely helpful and appreciative, it didn't necessarily open the floodgates on the return of multiple injured starters. Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin are still not practicing with an offense that could seriously use some reinforcements, edge rusher Haason Reddick is also still sidelined and right tackle Luke Goedeke, while now practicing in a hopeful return from injured reserve, was limited on Wednesday.
That said, the bye week may have had a fairly strong impact on the Buccaneers' overall roster health in terms of incremental gains for players who had been playing through injuries. Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, for instance, is fully off the injury report in Week 10 after dealing with a hamstring injury for the past couple games.
And then there's Baker Mayfield, the offensive lineman in a quarterback's body who made some of the biggest plays of the Bucs' first half of the season by putting his body on the line. Key late-game scrambles to move the sticks helped the Bucs beat Houston and San Francisco, but they didn't come without punishment. In recent weeks, Mayfield has been playing with knee and oblique injuries that have contributed to a less aggressive approach on scrambles (not necessarily a bad thing) and possibly some off-target throws.
On Wednesday, Mayfield said the bye week, in which Head Coach Todd Bowles gave the players all seven days off, did allow him to heal up to some extent.
"It definitely helps getting rest," he said. "[I was] still moving my body around a little bit, not letting yourself get too sore, but then also just the non-contact definitely helps."
Mayfield clearly didn't want to use his accumulated ailments as any sort of performance excuse, but it's worth noting that his completion percentage through the first six games was 66.2% before falling to 58.1% over the past two outings.
"It is not really an excuse, you just [have] to get used to it, figure it out and go from there," said Mayfield of the oblique injury in particular. "Some throws, I did not have my feet perfect, they were not going to be accurate. Normally, I can make up for it with how I change my arm angle and stuff like that. Some of it was different, but you just have to live and learn."
As for the scrambling – Mayfield averaged 26.3 rushing yards per game through the first six weeks but had zero combined in the last two contests – he said the injuries played a part but the more significant factor was defensive strategies.
"A little bit of both," he said. "Detroit did a great job with their pass rush lanes and also the spy -- the scheme overall. New Orleans did not do that as much, but [I] just have to get the ball out on time. Some of the lanes were there, but also was able to get the throws out in scramble drill instead of taking off and running. A little bit of both, but mostly schematically."
Mayfield was a full participant in practice on Wednesday though he is still listed with both the knee and the oblique issues on the injury report. As is the case with many, many players across the NFL, he may be working his way through aches and pains for the remainder of the season. For now, though, the hope is that the extra rest – and one weekend without taking any hits – provided by a bye week will have him closer to his peak as the second half begins with a visit from the New England Patriots.
