The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have spent the 2025 regular season to this point finding out how their team operates without the services of an assortment of start players, from NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs to Pro Bowl wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to NFL All-Pro edge rusher Haason Reddick.
The one player they haven’t had to do without — and the reason they’ve kept their heads above water — is 2-time Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The Buccaneers have spent the last week wringing their hands about whether they might have to play the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 without Mayfield, who didn’t play the second half of a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12 with a shoulder sprain.
There’s a glimmer of hope — or a little more — that the Buccaneers won’t have to find out what life is like without Mayfield after an update on Friday, November 28, from Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles.
“Todd Bowles confirms Benjamin Morrison (and Rashad Wisdom , still on IR) are the only two players ruled out against the Cardinals,” Bucs Gameday’s River Wells wrote on X. “Baker Mayfield is ‘trending’ toward playing, he says.”
Tampa Bay has dropped to 6-5 overall after 3 consecutive losses — and without a good chunk of offensive weapons — after starting the season 5-1.
Miserable Backup QB Option for Buccaneers
One thing the Buccaneers haven’t had in recent memory is any type of viable backup quarterback option. Consider that Kyle Trask got beat out for the backup option by the walking corpse of veteran Teddy Bridgewater in training camp, and that was with Bridgewater not even being brought in until later in camp.
Bridgewater looked like a less than ideal person to play in an actual NFL game during the second half against the Rams .
“Bucs coach Todd Bowles tells reporters that Baker Mayfield is trending towards starting against the Cardinals,” ESPN’s Jenna Laine wrote on her official X account on November 28. “Teddy Bridgewater got the majority of practice reps this week but it’s more of a pain tolerance thing than anything for Mayfield’s shoulder. Mayfield also said this week that he wouldn’t play if he thought he would in any way hold the team back.”
Buccaneers About to Get Huge Lift in Backfield
If there was ever a week Mayfield might be able to thrive at less than 100 percent, it might be against the Cardinals. That’s because the Buccaneers are on track to get back 1,000-yard running back Bucky Irving , who has missed the last 7 games with a shoulder injury.
Irving, a 2024 fourth round pick, seemed like he was on track to take his place among the NFL’s elite running backs this season but has found himself an afterthought for most of the year.
“It’s tough man your first time being hurt … I mean when I step on the field I don’t take this game for granted I love what I do every day,” Irving said on Wednesday, November 26 . “ … I’m trying to make plays and make thing happen for this organization and this team to help them in any type of fashion to win football games.”
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