Ahead of their Week 6 home game against the 3-2 Steelers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the 1-4 Bucs have elevated two players from their practice squad to the active gameday roster, the team announced Saturday.

Quarterback Easton Stick and running back Josh Williams were both elevated for the game, marking their third and second elevations of the season, respectively.

Stick, signed to the practice squad on Aug. 31 to be the Bucs’ No. 3 quarterback, is being elevated from the practice squad for the third straight week as the primary backup to undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels. This will be Daniels’ third straight start since Baker Mayfield suffered a dislocated thumb at the end of Tampa Bay’s Week 3 loss to Minnesota. Stick was active for Weeks 4 and 5, but didn’t appear in either game.

The elevation of Williams could prove to be more impactful. No. 3 running back Sean Tucker found himself on the injury report throughout the week with a quad injury, and while he logged limited practices Thursday and Friday after being a non-participant during Wednesday’s practice, he still carries a questionable designation heading into Week 6.

Bucs RB Josh Williams – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Williams, an undrafted free agent out of LSU signed in 2025, would appear to be stepping into Tucker’s No. 3 running back role. He could also work into the Bucs’ plans on special teams, assuming kick return duties as he did when he was elevated from the practice squad the first time, which was for Week 1 at Cincinnati. He didn’t appear on offense for Tampa Bay in that game, but he did log a career-long 47-yard kick return.

In four career regular season games with the Bucs, Williams has totaled four carries for 11 yards and five kickoff returns for 129 yards (25.8 avg.).

With this only being Williams’ second elevation from the practice squad this season, he has one more before the team would have to sign him to the active roster in order for him to appear in any more games.

Bucs Face A Decision In Week 7 Depending On Baker Mayfield’s Status

That last point is what presents an interesting situation for the Bucs going forward. Because this is Easton Stick’s third elevation of the regular season, he would have to be signed to the active roster to back up Jalon Daniels again in Week 7 at Carolina, should Daniels have to start a fourth straight game for Tampa Bay. That would force the team to make a move elsewhere on the roster to make room for Stick, who would become the third quarterback on the active 53-man roster.

Then again, the Bucs could – and probably would – go another route. They could avoid having to make a corresponding move elsewhere by keeping Stick on the practice squad and going with Brett Rypien, who was signed to the practice squad on Sept. 29, as the backup to Daniels. Rypien has yet to be elevated to Tampa Bay’s active roster over these last two games.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Of course, none of this matters – in the short term, at least – if Baker Mayfield returns from his thumb injury to start against the Panthers next Sunday. That would move Daniels back into the backup role and leave no reason for the Bucs to elevate Stick or Rypien.

All early signs seem to point toward Mayfield coming back into the mix for the Bucs in Week 7. For one, the fact that he wasn’t placed on injured reserve – which would’ve automatically cost him four games – signaled that the team believed he could be back by that Oct. 25 game in Charlotte.

And beyond that, reports last Thursday night indicated that he was initially pushing to make a return in Week 6 against Pittsburgh. Head coach Todd Bowles said during his Wednesday press conference that the Bucs would have a chance to monitor how well Mayfield was able to grip the ball later that afternoon, but Bowles declined to provide much of an update when he spoke with the media after Friday’s practice.

Nonetheless, the hope and belief is that Mayfield can return to practice next week and play against the Panthers in the Bucs’ NFC South opener next Sunday. That would shift Jalon Daniels back to the No. 2 job and restore the quarterback room back to its normal hierarchy.