HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On how QB Baker Mayfield looked in practice on Wednesday)

"I think he's coming along fine. I think once he got warmed up, he started looking pretty good as practice went on. So, we'll continue to monitor it and see how he goes through the week."

(On whether Mayfield wore a glove throughout practice)

"Yes, he did."

(On Mayfield's level of comfort throwing the ball with a glove)

"He said it felt good. I mean, he's done it one time before, so he said it felt okay."

(On the importance of seeing how Mayfield's thumb responds to a day of practice)

"We've got to see how he feels first, and then we'll go through that as we get through tomorrow and Friday. We've got to see how he comes out of it and, after a day, how the thumb responds."

(On splitting practice reps between Mayfield and QB Jalon Daniels)

"Each [has] got to get mental reps sometimes, [and] some [have] got to get physical reps. I mean, they both understand the game plan, and they're both ready to play."

(On the importance of determining the starting quarterback for Sunday's game)

"Oh, it's extremely important. I mean, you've got to have the quarterback get the mental reps and play, and everybody has got to understand who's under center and what kind of game plan we have."

(On whether Mayfield benefited from watching the offense while sidelined)

"I think anytime as a player when you miss time and you get to look at it from a different perspective, you see and you learn different things. So, when you come back, that can help you, even if you knew it before and then hadn't thought about it in a while. I'm pretty sure it'll help him once he gets back."

(On whether Mayfield's first practice back was encouraging)

"It was encouraging to see him do the things we wanted him to do."

(On whether he discussed Mayfield's early-season performance with him during his absence)

"We have a conversation after every game, so it's not just while he was sitting out. We always talk."

(On the initial timeline for Mayfield's return from injury being at least three weeks)

"That was the information I got, as per [the] medical staff. I'm not a mind reader or anything, but that's the information I got, [saying] it would be a minimum [of] three games, and then it depends on how he feels. It kind of went from there."

(On the Carolina Panthers offense and QB Bryce Young's performance this season)

"I mean, they're so much more multiple than they were. I think Brad [Idzik] has done an outstanding job of mixing things up and changing personnel and getting everybody involved in the offense – that's not an easy thing to do. He's executing, and Bryce is playing at a very high level."

(On his experience working with Panthers Offensive Coordinator Brad Idzik in Tampa Bay)

"[He is] a great guy on and off the field, very smart, learns all the time, and you can see him getting his chance and taking advantage of it."

(On S Antoine Winfield Jr. wearing a non-contact jersey in practice on Wednesday, and his potential availability this week)

"He's recovering. He would have to practice first for him to come back and not have a non-contact jersey on. I think he's getting there. I don't know if he's there yet. We'll see what tomorrow and Friday bring."

(On juggling the desire to develop young players while still trying to win games when a starter is out)

"We're trying to win games. We're not trying to go for growth. We're trying to win games while we grow."

(On DL Calijah Kancey's production this season)

"He's been used the right way, and he's actually getting off the ball. I mean, he's in the backfield…We've just got to turn some of those into sacks. Sometimes the ball is out, sometimes he's back there and somebody else makes a play. But, you know, we're pretty good across the board the way all those guys are playing right now. He's just got to get his opportunities, and they're going to come because he's playing hard. We'll probably do some things to try to free him up a little bit more and get him going that way as well."

(On getting WR Chris Godwin Jr. more involved in the offense)

"He's being used okay. You've always got to try to game plan around your best players, and we can get them open a little bit more, and we can do some things that way. They're [focusing their] coverages as well with him and 'Mek' (Emeka Egbuka) that way, but we've still got to get them open."

(On the offense's emphasis on passes to the perimeter rather than the middle of the field, and whether that's due to defensive coverages they're facing or if it's by design)

"It's a little bit of both. Sometimes they take it away in the middle [and] we've got to throw outside and check it down and do some things, and then sometimes it's by design."

(On whether the limited downfield passing is intended to protect QB Jalon Daniels)

"Definitely some of it [is designed] to protect him and minimize that. You know, every time we were going downfield in the past couple weeks, we've either gotten a holding penalty or a sack. So, it hasn't been favorable for us, but we've still got to be able to get the ball down the field."

(On QB Baker Mayfield avoiding the temptation to 'make up for lost time' upon his return)

"Like I said, I think he's learned a lot. He's going to always be the ultimate competitor, but he understands what he has around him, and he can't do it by himself. He just has to trust his guys, and he does, and if he comes back, I'm pretty sure he will."

(On weighing Mayfield's return at potentially less than 100% health in light of how much Mayfield played hurt in the 2025 season )

"I think it's a different injury. This one is a thumb – you can kind of gauge it off how he throws and how he feels and how he takes snaps under center and how he feels afterwards. I think that's kind of a different deal than the shoulder and the bruises and all those things he's kind of added up to. This one you can see flat out, and you can kind of know whether you want to play him or not."

(On whether Mayfield's throwing during practice on Wednesday met expectations)

"I thought it was effective. I thought he got warmed up, and it was pretty effective."

(On evaluating Kancey's performance this season)

"We need to find ways to get him open a little bit more, but he's explosive off the ball, and he's getting back there. I think we need to free him up a little bit more and do certain things that way. But all those guys up front, you've got to find places for all those guys working together. Sometimes he's gotten back there and the ball is out, sometimes he hasn't. But, you know, he's in the backfield every play. I think we can do some things to free him up a little more."

(On whether Kancey's role on defensive line stunts helps create opportunities for teammates)

"Well, everybody has to do it. You know, it's not just him. Everybody has to sacrifice something down there. We've only got a few games to free people up, so everybody has got to get their piece – some get it on the right play, some get it on a different play. If it just doesn't work out for them on that play, that doesn't mean we're not trying to get them through and [I am] not saying the other guys are not trying to help. I mean, everybody is trying to help each other down there."

(On when he expects to decide QB Baker Mayfield's availability for Sunday)

"I'll see what he looks like Friday, and I'll find out then."

DEFENSIVE BACK KEIONTE SCOTT

(On if the team is feeling more pressure for this weekend's game against the Carolina Panthers since it's the first divisional matchup of the season)

"Yeah, definitely. I feel like you can feel the intensity rise in the building. Coaches are

preaching it, older vets are preaching it. It's just something as a rookie to just live up to. These games are very important, so we want to get them taken care of."

(On his thoughts on the Carolina Panthers wide receiver room)

"Ultimately, just great guys. I feel like they have a great receiver room. [We will] take them very seriously. It's going to be a great challenge for us, and we're looking forward to it."

(On recording his first career sack against Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers)

"Yeah, it was definitely cool, and to get a chance to speak to him after the game and get a little praise, it was just a surreal moment. But, like I spoke to the media before, we want to win football games. It's something I definitely will look [back] on and be able to show my kids one day, but it's definitely something I can't harp too much on with not getting the win."

(On Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young's ability to work outside of the pocket)

"We never want to say anything is an issue. We definitely want to say it's something that we're looking into and definitely something that we're going to have to manage. He does a good job of creating plays with his legs, running and throwing, so it's something that we're definitely looking into."

(On his comfortability within the defense now compared to Week 1)

"Oh, yeah, it's definitely growing. I'm finding myself getting really comfortable being

able to try to find my style of play and kind of mold it into the defense, [which is] something that I'm trying to do now. I definitely feel like I'm doing a good job with it. [I] just [have] to continue to grow and see where it takes me."

-BUCCANEERS-