The Tampa Bay Buccaneers elevated quarterback Easton Stick and linebacker Caden Fordham from the practice squad Saturday, one day before hosting the Green Bay Packers in Week 4.
Stick will back up rookie Jalon Daniels, who is set to make his NFL starting debut in place of Baker Mayfield. Mayfield dislocated his right thumb late in Tampa Bay’s Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and the Buccaneers said he is expected to miss at least three weeks.
Advertisement
It will snap Mayfield’s streak of 57 consecutive starts for Tampa Bay, including the postseason, according to the Buccaneers.
The Packers come to Tampa at 1-2 after a rough outing in Atlanta, where they lost 35-14 on Sept. 24. Tampa Bay is still searching for its first win at 0-3.
Jalon Daniels will be Tampa Bay’s first undrafted rookie starter at quarterback
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels winds up to pass as a Minnesota Vikings defender closes in. Daniels, an undrafted rookie from Kansas, made his NFL debut in the fourth quarter of the Buccaneers’ game against the Vikings on Sept. 27, 2026. (Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)
Daniels signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in May after six seasons at Kansas. Sports Illustrated reported that Tampa Bay named him Mayfield’s backup on Aug. 30, the same weekend it released Jake Browning in final cuts.
Advertisement
Sunday will make him the first undrafted rookie to start a regular-season game at quarterback for the Buccaneers, according to the team.
Daniels appeared in 49 games at Kansas from 2020 to 2025. He completed 734 of 1,193 passes for 9,282 yards and 67 touchdowns. On the ground, he added 1,445 yards and 23 more scores.
Easton Stick played for Zac Robinson in Atlanta
Tampa Bay signed Stick to its practice squad Aug. 31. He already has some familiarity with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s system after spending last season with Robinson in Atlanta.
The Los Angeles Chargers selected Stick in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He has appeared in six NFL games and started four of them, completing 111 of 174 passes for 1,129 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Advertisement
This is the first practice-squad elevation of the season for both Stick and Fordham. Players can be elevated up to three times during the regular season before a team would need to sign them to the active roster to use them again. Stick and Fordham will automatically return to the practice squad after Sunday’s game without going through waivers.
Caden Fordham gives the Buccaneers a special teams option
Fordham signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted rookie in May and made the initial 53-man roster after cuts Aug. 30. Three days later, the Buccaneers waived him to make room for cornerback Kevin Knowles, a waiver claim from Kansas City, and brought Fordham back on the practice squad.
At North Carolina State, Fordham made 143 tackles in 2025, second in the nation. He also made his mark on special teams during the preseason, leading all NFL players with four solo tackles in kick coverage.
Advertisement
That could put Fordham directly into the mix Sunday. Linebacker SirVocea Dennis is questionable with a calf injury, and Buccaneers.com noted that Fordham is likely to see work in the kicking game, particularly if Dennis is unavailable.
Green Bay also adjusted its roster Saturday, placing defensive tackle Warren Brinson on injured reserve while linebacker Edgerrin Cooper cleared the concussion protocol [INTERNAL LINK: WISH Brinson IR / Cooper story, once live]. Cooper had opened the week as a limited participant because of the concussion on Green Bay’s first injury report.
Kickoff is set for noon CT Sunday at Raymond James Stadium on FOX.
More Green Bay Packers news from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
Advertisement
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @GrantAfseth and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
Comments
Advertisement