The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might think they have something with rookie UDFA quarterback Jalon Daniels. Daniels has flashed at times in training camp, and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson did not mince words when he discussed his praise for Daniels.
Robinson said that he still has to get through a lot of the mental acumen that comes with playing the game. However, he made it clear that his arm talent is special, and that it is one of the better arms that he has been around.
Daniels is currently competing for the third quarterback spot. However, Robinson made it clear that if Daniels can show progress, he is going to stick around.
Jalon Daniels is Impressing Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson
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As things stand, the Bucs’ pecking order is Baker Mayfield, Jake Browning, Connor Bazelak, and then Daniels. The team does not have to keep a third quarterback, but most teams do for emergency scenarios. Considering the injury status of Mayfield, it might be smart to keep a third.
So, the key for Daniels this offseason is to beat out Bazelak. Bazelak is entering his second season in the NFL. However, he is a former UDFA as well. He started his college career at Missouri, but then transferred to Indiana before finishing his career at Bowling Green.
Bazelak had a good preseason with the Bucs. He completed 69% of his passes and had one touchdown to zero interceptions. That is why the team elected to keep him around and bring him back for a second season.
However, Daniels had a more noteworthy college career and comes into the NFL with more notable physical features. If Daniels can continue on this trajectory, it is hard to see Bazelak holding him off for too long.
What would be tougher would be Daniels competing for the backup job. Either way, it would not be a surprise for Robinson to push for Daniels to make the team, so he could continue to develop in Tampa Bay.
Bucs Are High on Rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels
Daniels spent six years at Kansas. As a freshman, he saw the field early, but completed just 50% of his passes. He also had one touchdown to four interceptions. So, he went from 152 attempts as a freshman to 117 in his second year of college.
As a junior, he played most of the season, completing 66% of his passes and throwing 18 touchdowns to just four interceptions. He got hurt the next year and only threw 75 passes. However, he completed 74.7% of them.
Then, he started to nail down the starting spot in his fifth year. Still, he completed 57% of his passes and had 14 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. In his last year, he made a push to get drafted. He had 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He jumped his completion rate to 62% and had 404 rushing yards. However, his long career was not quite prolific enough to overcome the questions throughout the six seasons. Now, he is looking to make the Bucs roster.
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