Buccaneers Hand Jalon Daniels the Keys

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Green Bay Packers in Week 4 with an undrafted rookie quarterback making his first NFL start.

Jalon Daniels will take over the offense Sunday as the Buccaneers look to rebound from a slow start. The former Kansas quarterback earned the opportunity after winning Tampa Bay’s primary backup job behind Baker Mayfield.

Mayfield is beginning his recovery from a dislocated right thumb and is expected to miss at least three games. For Daniels, that creates an opportunity to make his mark in his first career start.

The Buccaneers remain just one game out of first place in the division. Now, they will try to stay in the race while finding out what they have in their young quarterback.

Via the team’s website, Head Coach Todd Bowles emphasized that Daniels will have plenty of support around him.

“For us, it’s just trying to get a win,” stated Head Coach Todd Bowles. “[Daniels] is not playing by himself. Everybody has to do their job. We’ve got to coach it the right way on both sides of the ball, including special teams. He’s got to play and just do his job. We’ve got 21 other guys that [are] going to be out there playing with him, so he’s not by himself.”

Daniels Gets His Opportunity

Daniels earned the primary backup role through his performance during practices and preseason games. His physical tools, poise, and confidence helped separate him from the competition.

Now, those traits will be tested against the Packers in a much different environment. Green Bay will have every reason to challenge the undrafted rookie and make his first start as difficult as possible.

The Buccaneers believe Daniels has the physical ability to make every throw required in Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson’s offense. His first career start, however, will require more than arm talent.

“Really, [it’s] just the film work,” said Bowles. “You know, you’ve got to get ready mentally. Like I told him, he’s been playing football his whole life – this is not a new thing for him. As long as he does his job and [doesn’t] try to go outside the box and do more than that, he’ll be fine.”

Daniels’ above-average mobility could also become an important part of his game. His ability to escape pressure and make plays with his legs gives Tampa Bay another element behind center.

In some ways, Daniels’ playing style is similar to Mayfield’s. That could help ease the transition, although Mayfield naturally has a much greater command of the offense after years of NFL experience.

That difference means the Buccaneers will have to adjust what they ask Daniels to handle. Bowles indicated the team is still determining which parts of the offense Daniels is most comfortable executing.

“Yeah, obviously Baker has played longer, so he can carry a lot more mentally and install more and make more checks and audibles,” stated Bowles. “We’ve just got to make sure Jalon is comfortable with the things we give him. There are some things where he’s comfortable, but we’ll run the offense, and we’re still figuring out all the way what he’s comfortable [with] from a game-plan standpoint. He’ll have some things where he’s able to move around a little bit.”

For Daniels, Sunday represents the biggest opportunity of his young NFL career. The undrafted rookie now gets his first chance to prove he can lead the Buccaneers’ offense when the games count.