The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did their due diligence to upgrade the backup quarterback spot this offseason.
They brought back Connor Bazelak, who stood out as a rookie undrafted free agent last preseason. They signed veteran Jake Browning in free agency, and brought in Kansas QB Jalon Daniels as a UDFA.
The expectation was that Browning, as an experienced backup with some starting experience under his belt, would seamlessly step into the backup role behind Baker Mayfield. But the early impression made by Daniels has created an unexpected competition.
Jalon Daniels could steal Buccaneers backup QB job from Jake Browning with a strong preseason
At the conclusion of rookie minicamp, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson named Jalon Daniels as the biggest standout among all undrafted free agents.
QB coach Chandler Whitmer also had nothing but good things to say about the team’s new developmental quarterback.
General Manager Jason Licht recently continued the ongoing trend of Bucs’ brass being very high on Daniels.
“It’s been a lot of fun watching Jalon Daniels,” said Licht on the Pewter Report Podcast. “I can predict it’s going to be exciting to watch him in training camp and preseason. He’s got a very good arm, and he’s a really good athlete. He put some good tape out there when he was at Kansas. Sharp kid, natural leader.”
Daniels has a lot of development to do before he’s NFL-ready, but he’s certainly made quite a first impression inside the building.
While Browning is the veteran and certainly has the inside track, the team has no true commitment to him that would prevent a true competition from unfolding. Browning is on a one-year deal with only $400,000 guaranteed.
If Daniels continues to win over the organization and puts together a strong training camp and preseason, he’ll have a legitimate shot at taking over as the team’s backup quarterback behind Baker Mayfield.
At the very least, he seems like a lock for the practice squad where he can continue to learn the system and develop as an NFL quarterback before taking over as the backup quarterback of the future.
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