With Baker Mayfield sidelined, rookie Jalon Daniels faces a high-stakes first start. Matt LaFleur warns that the undrafted dual-threat weapon possesses the tools to shock his team.
Ever since this year’s NFL schedule came out, the Green Bay Packers were expecting to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Baker Mayfield in the fold.
That’s not going to happen.
Mayfield dislocated his right thumb in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and although his timetable (out at least three weeks) is better than it could have been, the 0-3 Bucs don’t have much room for air.
So to say young Jalon Daniels is receiving a proverbial baptism by fire would be an understatement. Daniels’ NFL career has amounted to four snaps so far, all of which came after Mayfield got hurt against Minnesota. He threw three passes, completing one to the other team and none to his own, officially giving him his “welcome to the NFL” moment.
Ideally, the Bucs would be more comfortable starting a veteran in this type of scenario, which is why they signed Jake Browning over the offseason to back up Mayfield. But Browning got hurt, which led to him missing the preseason opener, which he was scheduled to start.
This opened the door for Daniels, and when the dust settled, the Bucs cut Browning and kept the rookie undrafted free agent from Kansas.
Now, Daniels will be making his first NFL start, and doing so against one of the league’s flagship franchises. Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur knows a thing or two about quarterback play, having coached the great Aaron Rodgers for three seasons and being the team’s offensive playcaller. He likes what he’s seen from Daniels.
"Daniels, we've seen a little bit of him in the preseason, and he's a guy that, through the scouting process coming out in the draft, a very talented player,” LaFleur said during his weekly press conference. “Certainly, he can beat you with his legs, as well. He has a big arm."
Daniels proved himself at Kansas, where he played all six of his college football seasons. He ended his time in Lawrence second on the school’s all-time passing list and, despite being a quarterback, is 25th on the school’s all-time rushing list and tied for fifth all-time in rushing touchdowns. Aside from his brief debut, all we’ve seen from Daniels in the NFL to this point has been on the practice field and during the preseason.
So nobody knows what’s going to happen Sunday. One thing that’s for sure is that, even in a weak NFC South, the Bucs have already backed themselves into a corner.
It’s presumed that Mayfield will be out until at least Oct. 25, when Tampa takes on the division rival Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. In the meantime, Tampa has to take on three teams— the Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys— that are all playoff contenders.
