TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told reporters Friday that quarterback Baker Mayfield is trending toward playing Sunday when they host the Arizona Cardinals.
"He looked good today, so he is trending to play," Bowles said after practice. "He had to get well. He was very limited on Wednesday, he did a little more yesterday and he moved around perfectly today, so he's fine."
Mayfield suffered a low-grade sprained AC joint in his left, non-throwing shoulder last week against the Los Angeles Rams, forcing him to miss the second half of the 34-7 loss -- the Bucs' third consecutive loss.
Backup Teddy Bridgewater got the majority of practice reps this week while Mayfield rested, with Mayfield saying Wednesday that the pain was decreasing. An MRI revealed no structural damage.
Mayfield emphasized that this is not the same injury that he suffered with the Cleveland Browns in 2021, an injury that he admitted, in hindsight, he should not have played through.
"I don't think I was physically able to do the things I wanted to in 2021 with a hurt shoulder. That's the biggest thing, [I] don't want to hold this team back," Mayfield said.
"[This injury is] very different," Mayfield said. "I had dislocated my shoulder completely, had a torn labrum, partial [tear in the] rotator cuff and cracked the bone in the socket, so it's very different. Now, it's just truly about pain tolerance management, being able to move around and being able to throw and go from there."
Mayfield said they view these next five games as "must-win situations." In the NFC South, the Buccaneers are just a half game ahead of the Carolina Panthers, whom they will see twice in the coming weeks.
