Baker Mayfield Injury Update, New Rumors on Earliest Timeline to Return for Bucs QB

As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers go for their second consecutive win with Jalon Daniels at quarterback on Sunday, they could get Baker Mayfield back from a dislocated thumb very soon.

Per The Ringer's Tom Pelissero, there is "optimism" Mayfield will be able to play in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers after he did some throwing in practice this week:

"Mayfield did some throwing this week, but he wasn't quite able to throw with his normal motion, forcing him to push the ball as he continues to regain grip strength. He was racing to beat the minimum three-week timeline that doctors had given him, and that coach Todd Bowles had stated publicly. But Mayfield is close enough that, even if he's not 100 percent in Week 7, the Panthers game is in play."

Mayfield injured his thumb in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings when his hand hit Blake Cashman's arm after releasing a pass that was intercepted by Andrew Van Ginkel.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said an MRI showed no additional damage in Mayfield's thumb beyond the dislocation and it wouldn't require surgery, but the expectation was he would miss at least three weeks.

"It's consistent with everything we thought it was — a dislocation. Right now, we're talking about a minimum of three weeks," Bowles explained.

Sunday's matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers will mark Mayfield's third missed game since the injury. Bowles told reporters after the team's practice on Wednesday that Mayfield was "getting better" and they were going to have him through a throwing session.

After the Bucs officially ruled Mayfield out for this week, NFL insider James Palmer reported he was "pushing hard to play" early in the week but swelling in his thumb after a throwing session made it unviable.

Daniels, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas, has started the last two games and will get the nod again this week. He led the Bucs to their first victory of the season in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Despite their 1-4 record through five games, the Buccaneers are only 1.5 games behind the Panthers for first place in the NFC South.

A win over Pittsburgh on Sunday could set up a showdown for the top spot in the division between the Bucs and Panthers in Week 7 with Mayfield potentially back at quarterback.