The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played starters against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Saturday, save for three players — wideout Mike Evans, linebacker Lavonte David and quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield did not play in Tampa Bay’s opening preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, so he has one more chance to get some action in against the Buffalo Bills. However, he won’t be taking that chance.

Head coach Todd Bowles announced on Thursday that no starters would be playing in Saturday’s game against the Bills. That includes Mayfield, who will miss all three games of preseason this year.

Mayfield has always been a gamer who is ready to suit up at any time, but head coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem to think he needs the reps — here’s why.

Mayfield was originally scheduled to play against the Steelers last Saturday, but Bowles changed direction and decided Mayfield would not play. Bowles attributed this to Mayfield’s excellent play during the team’s joint practice vs. the Steelers, particularly stating that he wanted to see Mayfield in a two-minute situation. He apparently saw enough during the joint practice to be satisfied with his play, so Mayfield ended up sitting out.

There’s also the matter of injuries. Tampa Bay’s injuries have already been mounting up, with wideout Jalen McMillan already set to miss a lot of time with a severe neck strain. Mayfield himself also already hurt his hand during camp this year, suffering a minor bruise that made him sit out a few practices. Todd Bowles likely isn’t looking to repeat anything like that, so he’s making sure to be extra cautious with his quarterback at this stage.

Mayfield’s attention will turn instead to Week 1, where the Buccaneers will play a crucial division matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 7 to kick off the year. The Bucs lost both of those games last year, so they’ll want to start 2025 off with a bang.