Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels: Returns to backup role in Week 7
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Daniels was back in his primary reserve role behind Baker Mayfield in Sunday's 43-13 win over the Panthers.
Daniels entered Sunday's contest late in the fourth quarter with Tampa Bay in full command of the contest, ultimately recording minus-three rushing yards while kneeling on back-to-back plays to end the game. With Mayfield back in action, Daniels will now have to wait for his next chance to command the Buccaneers' offense.
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Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels: Likely returning to backup role
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Daniels is expected to work as Tampa Bay's No. 2 QB on Sunday in Carolina, as Baker Mayfield (thumb) is questionable to play but is expected to start, Scott Smith and Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site report.
Daniels has led Tampa Bay to a 1-2 record over his three starts in Mayfield's absence. The rookie has completed an acceptable 63.2 percent of his passes and has averaged 39 rush yards per game, but he's thrown four interceptions and just three touchdowns. While Mayfield still carries a questionable tag for Sunday, he was a full participant in practice all week, and coach Todd Bowles said the veteran signal-caller "looks like he's ready to go."
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Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels: Notable improvement in second start
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Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions while rushing seven times for 23 yards in the Buccaneers' 24-16 win over the Cowboys on Thursday night.
Daniels didn't have the luxury of a normal practice week after making his starting debut in a Week 4 home loss to the Packers, but the undrafted rookie from Kansas looked like a significantly improved player just four days later on the road. Daniels commanded the Buccaneers offense with poise throughout the night, spreading the ball around to seven different targets and remaining free of turnovers after throwing a pair of interceptions against Green Bay. Daniels also connected with Bucky Irving for a five-yard touchdown pass to open the second quarter, his second career scoring toss. With some valuable experience now under his belt, Daniels will have some additional time to prepare for a Week 6 home matchup against the Steelers on Sunday, Oct. 18.
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Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels: Uneven showing in starting debut
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Daniels completed 19 of 27 passes for 148 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and rushed eight times for 55 yards in the Buccaneers' 17-14 loss to the Packers on Sunday. He also recovered a fumble.
The undrafted rookie was thrust into his first NFL start much sooner than expected thanks to Baker Mayfield's thumb injury, and all told, Daniels acquitted himself reasonably well. He unsurprisingly had his share of struggles as a passer, and in addition to his pair of picks, he also took three sacks. Daniels' two turnovers did lead to 10 total points for the Packers, but the Kansas product also provided plenty of valuable production on the ground and fired his first career touchdown to Kenny Gainwell from 10 yards out to open the fourth quarter. Daniels won't get the benefit of another full week of practice before taking the field for his second start, however, as the Bucs pay a visit to the Cowboys for a Week 5 matchup Thursday night.
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Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels: Will start in place of injured Mayfield
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Head coach Todd Bowles said Monday that Daniels will step in as the Buccaneers' new starting quarterback while Baker Mayfield is out for a "minimum of three weeks" due to a dislocated right thumb, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
The undrafted rookie made his NFL debut in relief of an injured Mayfield late in Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Vikings, rushing once for nine yards while failing to complete his first two pass attempts of the day before being intercepted on a Hail Mary as time expired. Since an MRI ruled out any damage to his thumb beyond the dislocation, Mayfield is expected to avoid a stint on injured reserve, but he doesn't appear in line to return to the lineup any sooner than Week 8 at Carolina. As a result, Daniels is now set to get his first extended NFL action beginning this Sunday, when the Buccaneers will host the Packers. During his six-year college career at Kansas, Daniels displayed some decent arm talent and scrambling ability, but concerns about his accuracy and ability to dissect defenses played a large part in him going undrafted.
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Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels: Wins backup QB job
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Daniels is moving forward as Tampa Bay's backup quarterback behind Baker Mayfield after impressing throughout training camp, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
After entering camp as an undrafted rookie in a crowded quarterback room, Daniels appears to have climbed into the No. 2 role behind Mayfield. The decision gives him clear roster security and places him next in line if Tampa Bay needs a backup to step into game action. Daniels won the job after a strong preseason during which he completed 27 of 44 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown without being picked off.
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Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels: Modest performance in preseason finale
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Daniels completed eight of 15 passes for 57 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed four times for nine yards in the Buccaneers' 19-0 preseason loss to the Jaguars on Friday. He also lost a fumble.
The undrafted rookie had made a strong impression over his first two preseason games, completing 19 of 29 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown while adding 10 rushes for 28 yards and another score. That played a part in Daniels earning the start in Friday's exhibition finale, but the Kansas product wasn't anywhere near as smooth. Daniels played through the first possession of the third quarter and helmed only one drive of greater than 17 yards, including one in the second quarter where he lost a fumble on the first play. Daniels is battling Connor Bazelak for the No. 3 quarterback role, and it remains to be seen how Friday's uneven performance ultimately affects that competition.
Daniels will start and likely play the entire first half of Friday's preseason game at Jacksonville, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
With Baker Mayfield taking a seat for preseason Week 3, Daniels will be the first QB up for the Buccaneers, followed by Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak. This appears to be an open competition for the direct back role to Mayfield, and Daniels, an undrafted rookie, so far has completed 19 of 29 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions while rushing 10 times for 28 yards and one more TD through two exhibitions.
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Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels: Heads to Tampa
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Daniels signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent Friday.
A six-year player at Kansas, Daniels finished the 2025 season by completing 62.1 percent of his passes for 2,531 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 404 yards (3.5 YPC) and four touchdowns on the ground. He has decent mobility with a 4.65 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but he needs to tidy up his work as a passer to have a shot in the NFL. Daniels will battle against Connor Bazelak for the No. 3 QB job behind Baker Mayfield and Jake Browning.
