When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Baker Mayfield, little did they know that they were getting a quarterback literally built into an armor suit. Mayfield played through shoulder injuries, bruised biceps, and sprained MCL and PCL, to name some, in 2025, appearing on ten injury reports across 17 games played. The logic is simple: As long as he is on the gridiron, the Bucs’ brass has nothing to worry about. But what when he’s not?

While Mayfield played all games in 2025, his backup, Teddy Bridgewater, did substitute for him in four games. To the Bucs’ sorrow, it was all for nothing. He didn’t get much time to prove himself, but he also couldn’t make any impact. So, coming into this season, the writing on the wall for the team was clear. And that’s the very reason why they let go of a new signing who was set to be the QB2.

The team announced Sunday that they had let go of Jake Browning, who was brought in to be Mayfield’s backup in 2026. He had agreed to a one-year deal back in March with $400,000 guaranteed, but through training camp and preseason, the competitor that Browning did not even know he had outdid himself to sweep that position.

As I said, the Bucs’ target for a backup quarterback was not someone who could replace Mayfield for a long period of time. With how their primary signal caller played last season, you can count on it that he will not be missing from the field for too long. So, all that Tampa Bay needed was a quarterback who could make an impact despite knowing he won’t get much playing time. And they got him in their house itself.

Undrafted rookie out of the Kansas Jayhawks, Jalon Daniels, was originally in a battle for the role of the third quarterback with the now-waived Connor Bazelak. But his performances through training camp and preseason games impressed his coaches more than Browning’s. For one, Mayfield is proud of Daniel’s efforts:

“I’m proud of Jalon. I thought he took tremendous steps from the first time I met him in the offseason to now. Played his tail off, worked hard, worked on some of the things the coaches wanted to get done out of him, for him to progress with…yeah, I’m excited for him,” Mayfield told the reporters after the announcement.

Daniels and Browning competed in all three preseason matchups. But the rookie set himself apart despite a fine performance by Browning. Here is how the two looked during the preseason:

It is worth noting that Browning did not play in the preseason opener, and he also did not get as much time on the field as Daniels. But this output made the decision clear for the Bucs.

Browning signed on as a free agent, and the veteran doesn’t have any waivers to clear, so despite the Bucs ripping up his contract, he could still choose to stay on with the practice squad. However, it would be a major downgrade from the backup quarterback aspirations he had when he signed for Tampa Bay, but it is possible that the Bucs can bring him onto the roster later in the season. After all, he did show some promise with his 22-yard throw. But considering the team’s focus, Daniels got the better of him.

Not only was the rookie able to get a touchdown for the Bucs, but he had more yards covered and fewer sacks taken across three preseason displays. Surely, come regular season, the physicality and speed both increase in the NFL. But this is a promising start for the rookie who once did not have any name to wear across his chest.

Kansas’ Jalon Daniels is the right choice for the Bucs

Baker Mayfield has been such a reliable figure that the Bucs wouldn’t be expecting more than a few reps throughout the season for whichever quarterback gets a few minutes at the gridiron. 23-year-old Jalon Daniels brings exactly that to the table. Although he went undrafted, his time at the Kansas Jayhawks was nothing short of remarkable, and even the team’s head coach Todd Bowles agrees:

“[Daniels] has shown a lot. He’s shown a lot,” Bowles said after the team’s preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars, per ESPN. “We’re going to go back and evaluate the film.”

In 45 starts during his time in Kansas, Daniels recorded 9,282 passing yards and 1,445 rushing yards to go with 67 passing touchdowns and 23 rushing touchdowns. Daniels finished as only the second player to surpass 10,000 yards in total offense in Kansas history. 

When Tampa Bay picked him as an undrafted rookie, Daniels wasn’t even in contention for the second quarterback role. But his performances in the preseason were exactly what the Bucs have been looking for. While his preseason performance is a small sample size, his dual-threat ability is what gave him the nod over the others.

The aim isn’t to bring Daniels in as Mayfield’s future replacement, not yet, at least. For now, the Bucs aim to have a second quarterback who offers a serious offensive threat if and when Mayfield doesn’t take to the gridiron. 

Is Daniels the right move for the Bucs? That’s a question that can only be answered when he is required to replace Mayfield this season, if at all.