The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had their own quarterback battle going on during training camp.
While it was not for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart, there were multiple options who could back up Baker Mayfield this season. In the end, the Bucs landed on the undrafted free agent out of Kansas.
On Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Jalon Daniels will be the primary backup for Tampa Bay this season.
Daniels went undrafted after playing his final season in Lawrence in 2025. He entered camp with the Bucs competing for a roster spot along with the likes of Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak. Daniels got a chance to show himself off during the preseason.
Daniels finished 19-for-29 for 182 yards and two touchdowns, one rushing, in two victories. He played in his final game against the Jacksonville Jaguars where he went 8-for-15 for 57 yards.
“He’s shown a lot,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said of Daniels after Friday’s loss. ”We’re going to go back and evaluate the film. It’s not really the completions, it’s the overall operation. Make sure he’s fine with that and then we’ll come back and look at the film.”
Tampa Bay cut Bazelak on Saturday before making the final decision to roll with Daniels and let Browning go on Sunday.
Daniels spent six years with Kansas, including playing 12 games in each of the last two years. He combined for 734 completions for 9,282 yards with 67 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,445 yards and 23 scores. Daniels helped Kansas get out of the basement during his career. Daniels was named the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year ahead of the 2023 season. The Jayhawks would go on to win nine games that year but Daniels was limited to just three games due to an injury.
The undrafted quarterback showed enough in training camp to earn a new role in the NFL.
