The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the process of cutting their roster down to 53 players ahead of Sunday’s 6:30 p.m. deadline.
One of the biggest questions facing the organization is how they’ll handle the quarterback position. Tampa Bay currently has three quarterbacks: Baker Mayfield, Jalon Daniels, and Jake Browning. They haven’t rostered three QBs since 2022, so it would be uncharacteristic for the team to keep all three.
Browning is an experienced veteran who leaves the team in good hands if Mayfield misses time. But Tampa Bay is high on their rookie Daniels, who had a strong preseason and looks to have a future as the QB2 for the Buccaneers. They won’t be able to stash Daniels on the practice squad, as it’s highly unlikely he’d clear waivers. That presents two choices: name Daniels as the backup quarterback and part ways with Browning, or break from the status quo and keep all three quarterbacks.
If they ultimately choose to name Daniels as the backup, rather than cutting Browning, there could be a team interested in acquiring him in a trade.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers should explore Jake Browning trade with Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins traded their backup Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2028 sixth-round pick.
That leaves Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski as the only two quarterbacks behind starter Malik Willis. If Miami wants to add a veteran presence to the room, the Bucs are just a call away.
Browning is a career backup quarterback on a one-year deal, so he doesn’t have much trade value. But he does have some good experience. He has started 10 games in his career and even led the NFL in completion percentage in 2023, leading the Bengals to a 4-3 record that season.
The Buccaneers could simply ask for a late-round pick swap, which would benefit Tampa Bay as they expect to be playoff contenders while Miami is projected as one of the NFL’s worst teams. They won’t get a substantial trade package, but getting anything for a quarterback potentially on the chopping block would be a win.
Of course, this all ultimately comes down to whether the Bucs are comfortable entering the season with Daniels as their backup quarterback. Despite his upside, he has a lot of growth to do before he’s truly ready to command an NFL offense.
But if the potential he flashed throughout training camp and the preseason was enough to convince the Buccaneers to take the gamble and move forward with Daniels, they should absolutely get something for Browning while they can.
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