Buccaneers’ Jalon Daniels and Jake Browning battle for the backup quarterback job in Tampa Bay’s preseason finale.
Tampa Bay will cut down their roster from 90 to 53 this weekend, but before the roster is finalized, the Buccaneers (2-0) will take on in-state rival Jacksonville (1-0) in their final preseason game at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 28 at EverBank Stadium.
While the starters won’t see the field against the Jaguars, head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will get one last look at backup quarterbacks Jake Browning and Jalon Daniels. Bowles has yet to name a starting quarterback for the game and many have speculated the preseason finale will likely determine if it is Daniels or Browning backing up starter Baker Mayfield when the regular season kicks off.
Browning, who signed a one-year contract in March, saw his first action in the preseason last week against the Kansas City Chiefs after he missed the first preseason game against the New York Jets because of a back injury. Playing in the first half, Browning was 8-of-11 passing for 84 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. With Browning leading the offense, the Buccaneers punted on their first four drives and failed to convert on fourth down at the end of the half which led to Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker making a 69-yard field goal as time expired.
Like he did the week before against the Jets, Daniels took over in the second half to lead the Buccaneers to a come-from-behind 16-15 win against the Chiefs. On the first drive of the second half, Daniels led the offense to a touchdown with a 7-yard pass to tight end Ko Keift. After the Chiefs pulled ahead 15-7 late in the third quarter, the undrafted rookie led Tampa Bay on two fourth-quarter scoring drives to complete the comeback victory.
Because of his recent play, Daniels has turned the backup quarterback position into a competition. So far, the Buccaneers have scored on every possession with Daniels in at quarterback. In seven drives he has led the offense to five touchdowns and two field goals.
In his two games Daniels is 19-of-29 passing for 182 yards, has one passing touchdown, zero interceptions and has a quarterback rating of 94.3. He has also rushed for 28 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown in the preseason.
The Jaguars are coming off their first win of the preseason after downing the Carolina Panthers 34-17. Against the Panthers, Jacksonville had 318 total yards of offense (238 passing, 80 rushing) and averaged 6.2 yards per play. Starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence has yet to play in the preseason, giving way to undrafted rookie Joey Aguilar. The former Tennessee Volunteer has completed 9-of-10 of his passes for 130 yards and one touchdown in the preseason.
Tampa Bay is favored by 1.5 points against Jacksonville and the point total for the game is 35.5. The Buccaneers will open the regular season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 13.
