With Baker Mayfield not playing and Jake Browning injured, undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels gets a massive opportunity to prove his worth against the Jets.
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers open the preseason against the New York Jets on Friday, they will likely be without their top two quarterbacks.
According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, Tampa head coach Todd Bowles was asked whether Baker Mayfield would play any snaps on Friday and immediately responded, "Not at all."
Well, that settles that.
While a starting quarterback not playing in his team's first preseason game is hardly a surprise, the Bucs' QB situation for Friday's game was thrown a massive curveball on Tuesday. Backup QB Jake Browning suffered a back injury during the team's joint practice with the Jets and is extremely unlikely to play on Friday.
The Bucs didn't provide any definitive update on Browning's injury after practice, so we don't know how long he will be sidelined. Browning has long been considered a plus QB2 who can be trusted to start a few games if needed, and has 10 career starts on his resume.
Browning's spot as Mayfield's backup has never really been in jeopardy, although undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels has looked impressive throughout the offseason.
Without Mayfield or Browning playing on Friday, Daniels should be in line for the biggest opportunity of his short career.
Can Daniels Show Enough To Earn A Roster Spot?
Tampa, like most NFL teams, is expected to carry only two QBs on its 53-man roster. With Mayfield and Browning entrenched as the Bucs' starter and backup, it would be very difficult for Daniels to make the team heading into Week 1.
However, Daniels is exactly the kind of young, talented developmental QB that teams love to stash on their practice squad.
With a lot of extra opportunities seemingly in his future after Browning's injury, can Daniels show enough to earn a roster spot?
Obviously, if Browning's injury turns out to be significant, Daniels would become much more likely to make the team. Assuming Browning will be healthy again in time for the regular season, is there anything Daniels can do to force the Bucs into carrying a third quarterback?
Daniels and second-year QB Connor Bazelak are likely the only two quarterbacks Tampa will have for Friday's game. Bazelak was an undrafted rookie last season, spending most of the season on the PS, though he was signed to the 53-man roster due to some injury concerns with Mayfield. He never appeared in any games.
Bazelak actually replaced Browning after he was hurt Tuesday. Both he and Daniels should get a ton of action Friday, much more than they would have if Browning were healthy.
Daniels has shown much more upside than Bazelak, and if he performs in Friday's game the way he has been performing in camp, he should move ahead of Bazelak on the depth chart.
If Daniels performs well during the preseason, with or without Browning, there is a chance he may not make it to the practice squad. If the Bucs only carry two QBs, another team that is willing to carry a third may sign Daniels to its active roster if Tampa cuts him. Daniels is talented and has created some buzz so far. That may be all it takes for some other team to take a shot on him.
Final Thoughts
Mayfield won't be playing on Friday. That much we know. How the QB reps will be divided is still up in the air.
Hopefully, the team provides an update on Browning's injury soon.
Assuming Browning is a no-go for Friday, the Bucs will be getting a really good look at Daniels. However, so will the rest of the league. The better Daniels performs over the preseason, the riskier it becomes for Tampa to try to sneak him onto its practice squad.
It's unlikely that Daniels will unseat Browning as QB2, making his only realistic shot at making the team convincing the Bucs to carry three QBs.
He will get his first chance to make that argument on Friday.
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