Baker Mayfield is Officially 'Functional' and Ready to Save the 1-5 Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially set the bar for their quarterback room, and it is resting comfortably on the floor. Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters that Baker Mayfield looked "functional" in practice this week and is good to go for Sunday.

Describing your franchise quarterback as functional sounds less like an injury update and more like a mechanic explaining why your 2011 Honda Civic will survive the winter. But for a team in absolute freefall, functional is a massive upgrade.

"Todd Bowles tells reporters Mayfield looks good to go for Sunday."

Mayfield has been sidelined since Week 3 after dislocating his right thumb against the Minnesota Vikings. That injury was the final blow in a game where he was sacked six times and hit on a dozen other dropbacks, which is a highly effective way to end up in a cast.

Before the thumb dislocation, Mayfield was struggling to find a rhythm, posting just 615 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a 37.1 QBR. Still, the Buccaneers desperately need his veteran presence back under center.

Tampa Bay is currently sitting at a miserable 1-5 and dead last in the NFC South. They are coming off a brutal 26-19 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, proving that their current backup situation is not going to save the season.

Now Mayfield gets a soft landing spot to test out his grip strength against the Carolina Panthers. For anyone monitoring the weekend slate, a 1-5 team rushing their quarterback back from a throwing-hand injury in a divisional road game is the exact recipe for a chaotic betting total.

Bowles noted that Mayfield is acclimating well to wearing a glove on his throwing hand. We will find out exactly how functional that grip is when the Buccaneers kick off in Charlotte on Sunday afternoon.