After missing three games due to a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, quarterback Baker Mayfield is back in the lineup for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday as they take on the Carolina Panthers in a critical intra-division game. Mayfield carried a questionable designation on the injury report into the weekend but was able to practice without limitations throughout the week. He intends to wear a specialized glove on his right hand that offers added support to the injured joint, preventing the thumb from being bent backward.
Mayfield will not have the team's top receiving target at his disposal, however, as wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is out for Week Seven with both a concussion and a foot injury. In addition, starting right tackle Luke Goedeke is out due to a calf ailment and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. will miss his third straight outing thanks to a rib fracture.
The Buccaneers and Panthers submitted their list of inactives at 11:32 a.m. ET on Sunday, 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of their Week Seven meeting at Bank of America Stadium. After elevating linebacker Caden Fordham from the practice squad, the Buccaneers had 54 available players and thus had to name six inactives to get down to the game-day limit of 48. The Panthers also elevated outside linebacker Nick Hampton and cornerback Robert Rochell from the practice squad and had to name seven inactive players.
Carolina will be without one of its top pass-rushers as Jaelan Phillips is out due to a hamstring strain. Fellow outside linebacker Thomas Incoom is also unavailable due to a calf issue, and he was placed on injured reserve on Saturday.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES
- DL DeMonte Capehart
- WR Emeka Egbuka
- CB Ayden Garnes
- T Luke Goedeke
- G Billy Schrauth
- S Antoine Winfield Jr.
Egbuka, Goedeke and Winfield are out due to injury.
PANTHERS INACTIVES
- RB A.J. Dillon
- DT TeRah Edwards
- T Stone Forsythe
- C Sam Hecht
- QB Haynes King (3rd QB)
- OLB Jaelan Phillips
- TE Ja'Tavion Sanders
Phillips is out due to injury.
