Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Connor Bazelak won the third-string job against the odds last season as an undrafted free agent out of Bowling Green. But the Ohio native's spot on the roster was always going to be tenuous following the addition of Kansas product Jalon Daniels as an undrafted free agent.
Daniels is absolutely crushing it this offseason, and after a promising set of performances in training camp and offseason workouts, the young quarterback is translating well onto the field, running the offense in perfect sync as a much better Baker Mayfield emergency replacement than any other backup option in the QB room.
It may be presumptuous to state that Daniels will be able to be the No. 2 quarterback to Mayfield over offseason addition Jake Browning from the Cincinnati Bengals, and while Browning's roster spot is likely safe, the Kansas grad could make a real push to be Baker Mayfield's top clip board holder.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Connor Bazelak is not an NFL-caliber QB
The biggest loser in Jalon Daniels' meteoric rise is Connor Bazelak. Whereas the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers undrafted rookie quarterback is shining big time, Bazelak didn't even get the chance to take a snap in the team's second preseason game against the Chiefs. Their decision to keep him on the sidelines speaks volumes about the current pecking order in the QB room.
The Buccaneers are definitely not going to carry four quarterbacks, because three quarterbacks is a stretch for most NFL teams these days with how valuable roster spots are, especially with positions like offensive line, cornerback, and wide receiver requiring a lot of depth.
Daniels has proven so far that he is worth a third roster spot at the quarterback position, but that would all but guarantee the end of Bazelak's time in Tampa Bay. The talent level and trajectories of these two quarterbacks could not be more divergent.
It is unclear if Bazelak is released, which seems inevitable at this point, if he will land on his feet somewhere else, because the signal caller is already 25 and not showing that he merits meaningful NFL experience or that he can be a reliable backup.
He looked legitimately lost on the field in the preseason opener against the Jets, and the juxtaposition of Daniels slicing and dicing defenses and accurately diagnosing plays while Bazelak couldn't generate any offense really seals the fact that the Bucs have no other choice but to release Bazelak and move on with what could be the deepest quarterback room in the league.
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