Baker Mayfield was removed from the injury report for Week 18
Baker Mayfield he will be fully fit and will not carry the injury tag in Week 18, as expected. The The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cleared their star quarterback late in the week leading up to their all-or-nothing matchup with the Carolina Panthers.
Mayfield began the week questionable after reporting to a limited practice session with shoulder and knee injuries. After two full practices, he was removed from the Buccaneers’ final Week 18 injury report.
Tampa Bay confirmed cornerback Jamel Dean and linebacker Anthony Nelson will not playwhile defensive tackle Calijah Kancei remains questionable. All other players, including Mayfield, will be fully active.
The news is a small victory for the Buccaneers ahead of their biggest game of the year. Despite going just 1-7 in their last eight games, Tampa Bay’s final game of the regular season is for the NFC South titlewith the winner claiming the conference’s final playoff spot.
Mayfield has seemingly been hurt for some time, since the Buccaneers’ Week 12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams with a right shoulder injury. This current issue doesn’t appear to be related, but the 30-year-old has struggled with his accuracy and consistency over the past month.
Mayfield didn’t play in the second half against the Rams, but he hasn’t missed a game all season. His determination and resilience were part of why fans saw him as the MVP leader early in the year before the Buccaneers’ season fell apart.
Regardless, Mayfield is having one of his best performances of the year. In his second game with Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan in the lineup, Mayfield threw for 345 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. The yardage total was his second-highest of the season.
2026-01-01 20:23:00
