Four Questions For Jalon Daniels
August 27th, 2026
It seems obvious that undrafted rookie free agent QB Jalon Daniels will make the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster.
But there’s still another preseason game to play and NFL front offices are known to sour quickly on undrafted players if they struggle.
Daniels started 45 games at the University of Kansas through six seasons there. He’s seen a lot, including his own injuries and highs and lows. Through Bucs training camp and preseason, he’s been a breath of fresh air with his arm and playmaking ability. He’s no typical camp-meat quarterback.
Joe caught up to Daniels this week in Jacksonville for a short interview.
JoeBucsFan.com: Have you felt how excited Bucs fans are about you? Are you feeling that through friends, social media or in the community?
Jalon Daniels: Absolutely. I tend not to try to look too far into social media. I leave that to family, and for them to tell me everything they’re hearing and seeing. My job is to come out here and move the sticks and learn to operate this Bucs offense. That’s my goal on a day-to-day basis.
JoeBucsFan.com: Have you had much fan interaction outside the stadium?
Daniels: I don’t really go outside the crib too much, especially during the season. My main focus is to be able to get better as a quarterback every single day. But when I do get out, to the mall or to get something to eat, I do feel some of that love.
JoeBucsFan.com: How do you see NFL receivers are different than in college?
Daniels: There’s levels to it. Going from college to the NFL is not an easy task, especially for a wide receiver. They go out there and they have a lot of plays to be able to remember; they have to be able to know everything to the smallest detail, such as a one-yard difference in alignment. So when we’re talking about things like that, I think that those guys who have gotten to our Bucs camp, draft pick or undrafted, I think they’ve all handled themselves very well.
JoeBucsFan.com: Going into this last game, do you feel any pressure knowing that not only is the whole NFL watching your film, but this could be your last chance to make the Bucs’ roster?
Daniels: I wouldn’t say it’s any pressure at all. At the end of the day, God has put me in this position for a reason. He gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. To be able to go from UDFA (undrafted free agent) to this position, I want to thank God for all of that. I’m going into this game with God on my side and I’m ready to go out there be able to go to war.
August 27th, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Well said Jaylon
August 27th, 2026 at 6:22 pm
Love his answers and wish him the best.
August 27th, 2026 at 6:24 pm
Hard to say if he’ll make the team or not.
Going against 2nd and 3rd string D’s with vanilla play calls as opposed to #1 Defense trying to disguise everything they do is a whole nother animal.
I like his energy and think he would be a great teammate for sure, and if this were 10-15 years ago and teams still carried 3 QB’s then he would be a lock.
Good luck to him for sure and I hope he makes it.
Let’s go Bucs!!!!
August 27th, 2026 at 6:33 pm
QB2
So refreshing to have a young player at QB excited to play with lots of energy and only focusing on getting better. He’s a joy to watch. Looking forward to seeing more. Tons of QBs start off playing against 2s and 3s, Russell Wilson comes to mind. The only way to get better is to play in an actual game. No QB you’re a fan of got better in practice or on the bench.
Its time to look towards the future and invest in younger players. Let’s see what he’s got.
August 27th, 2026 at 6:41 pm
Kids a ringer. The Bucs would be wise to keep and nurture him. I think he has what it takes.
August 27th, 2026 at 7:02 pm
“To be able to go from UDFA (undrafted free agent) to this position, I want to thank God for all of that. I’m going into this game with God on my side and I’m ready to go out there be able to go to war.“
Jalon “Willie Beamon” Daniels
August 27th, 2026 at 7:12 pm
Jake Browning is trash! He had Chase and Higgins to throw to, and was pretty bad. Jayden QB2 please!
August 27th, 2026 at 7:14 pm
Great attitude. Hope he keeps growing as a Buc.
August 27th, 2026 at 7:17 pm
Love this guy
August 27th, 2026 at 7:21 pm
Practice squad ,, Bowles won’t waste a valuable roster spot on a project ,, Bowles has to win now … The only way he keeps JD on the 53 is if he moves Browning to the PS ,,, then if something happens to Baker during a game JD comes in and then the following week Browning comes up to QB 2,,,, My personal hope is we get a real #2 after cuts ,, Wentz or JJ from Minn
August 27th, 2026 at 7:27 pm
He’s definitely got brains and is well spoken. His heart and mind are the in the right place as well. If you’ve got those attributes and the physical talent to go with that, it’s just a matter of time before it all comes together for him.
August 27th, 2026 at 7:28 pm
I’m Loving the positive energy from this guy. He’s done nothing but win games (in pre season moderation), excite the guys into a playing frenzy (after we got embarrassed yesterday in practice with “No Heart or Will to Dominate”, mirroring the head coach) MAN, We NEED Juice! And Daniels is providing “IT”!
The guys Like playing ball with him!
I’m NOT saying he’s in Mayfield’s league. But what I Am saying is that if Mayfield goes down… The LAST THING we need is more “drabness and boredom” that resembles THE WRONG style and direction! I certainly HOPE beyond hope that bowles at least recognizes that we Deperately Need THAT positive energy Especially in dark moments such as if we lose our #1 QB and makes the “right directional call” on who gets the Honor of second in line, COMING WITH THE JUICE TO GO AHEAD AND WIN THAT GAME! That IS what this team DESPERATELY NEEDS…
August 27th, 2026 at 7:31 pm
Need to make him the number 2 QB and put Daniels on the practice squad.
August 27th, 2026 at 7:35 pm
“I’m NOT saying he’s in Mayfield’s league. But what I Am saying is that if Mayfield goes down… The LAST THING we need is more “drabness and boredom” that resembles THE WRONG style and direction“
**The last thing we need as team and as fans is to be put in position to root for Jake Browning to help win a game.
Well said, Browning getting meaningful, pressure reps at any point in the regular season I’ll be Browning my pants. I’d personally rather rely on the wildcard, you know what you’re getting wit JB and it’s not much.
August 27th, 2026 at 7:36 pm
He should make the team based upon performance to date. Reserve judgment until after Friday’s game. That said, if he performs well he has to be QB2. Browning plays infinitely better than I could ever hope to, but only on par with mutiple QB’s who are free agents or about to be cut. Little to no risk in putting him on practice squad.
August 27th, 2026 at 7:42 pm
If you Really want to find away to judge which #2 qb to put on the 53, it’s far more “simpleton” than you think…
It’s an easy answer with an easy question. Truly.
If we place Browning on the practice squad, how quickly will another team, Any team, come to snipe Browning from you? Likely… “none” is most certainly the answer.
And if you place Daniels on the practice squad, how quickly will a team, Any team snipe Him from you? Likely…. “IMMEDIATELY”
And with THAT FACT, it just makes the answer to the test easy breezy for ANY “simpleton” to stumble through and finally figure out.
Now see how easy that was…
GO BUCS!
August 27th, 2026 at 7:45 pm
@WBL
You’re a clever guy with style. Well done
August 27th, 2026 at 7:59 pm
He never played with much NFL caliber talent, while at Kansas. So, it will be interesting to see how much better it makes him. Even, if he ‘kills-it’ against the Jags, and Browning SUCKS… I still wouldn’t be surprised to see Bowles bury him at #3. Cause, just think! If Baker struggles real bad early, like he did in 2023, and the offense is STAGNANT, can’t move the ball, pick-up first downs, turns the ball over, cannot sustain drives, can’t score, settles for FG’s, & etc. etc…. It’s going to be an absolute FIRESTORM of constant nonstop “JD” chants drowning out Ray-Jay.
Especially, once they are 2-7 and heading to the Bye-Week and the trade-deadline, after Chicago. If he’s STILL buried and has not yet even SNIFFED the field, everyone will go literally NUTS at Ray-Jay, versus the Panthers. Hell, it’ll be bad enough all during the Bye-Week… And, they’ll be debating whether or not to start him at Detroit, for his very FIRST start. I’m tellin’ ya, if they are 1-3 and get boat raced at DALLAS in front of a ‘national’ audience on that BIG “Thursday Night” Game… It’s already going to get REAL BAD for the ‘mini-bye’ week with Pittsburgh coming to town, to face a 1-4 Bucs Team with… BAKER!?
August 27th, 2026 at 8:00 pm
Daniels would clear waivers ,, no one is picking up a project ,, teams trying to win now
August 27th, 2026 at 8:18 pm
@ Obvious One Says: “It’s an easy answer with an easy question. Truly.”
You’d like to think so, or it should be. But, it most definitely won’t be. Cause, look at WHO you are depending on to make the right decision here… The same exact ones, who made a conscious decision to bring-in TEDDY. Right off the couch, and with only a few weeks left of camp. Ya see… There are other things to be taken under consideration. With number one being, Baker’s EGO. They don’t trust HIM not to be looking over his shoulder, and especially for when things start to go BAD. I mean, just look at the Baker Bros… They are already, getting NERVOUS.
August 27th, 2026 at 9:18 pm
I wonder which god he’s talking about. We’ve created SO many.
August 27th, 2026 at 9:34 pm
It’s good to hear Joe actually conducting an interview rather than a copy-and-paste from another source. Keep it up Joe!
August 27th, 2026 at 10:01 pm
“Jaylon, so how do you feel about playing in another worthless preseason game?”
August 27th, 2026 at 10:22 pm
QB2 this year and QB1 after this season.
He can beat out Baker if there’s an open competition next year, but I think we should just let Baker walk and ride with Daniels.
August 27th, 2026 at 10:48 pm
TBBF …lol.
August 27th, 2026 at 10:52 pm
Question # five…what was it like to play against future bag boys and such?
August 27th, 2026 at 10:58 pm
Only way Baker walks is if he gets hurt or has a horrible year and we take a top 10 QB, Jalon is a fun preseason story, and he will start games in this league as a Josh Johnson or Dobbs type backup, highly unlikely he becomes a bonafide starter, preseason is for guys like Jalon to shine, tonight Dillon Gabriel looked like a franchise Quarterback, he might get cut, not saying I don’t enjoy watching Jalon and wish him the best, but the reality is he won’t be the 2027 QB, maybe the QB2
August 27th, 2026 at 11:14 pm
Excellent article.
Daniels. Winner. Brownings. Not. EZ
August 27th, 2026 at 11:48 pm
“To be able to go from UDFA (undrafted free agent) to this position, I want to thank God for all of that.”
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Wow, sounds like the Bucs have already told him he’s got a VERY bright future with the franchise. Probably told him that right after they spent all that money for next year on Vita – seems pretty obvious where the franchise expects to save about $55M next season.
August 27th, 2026 at 11:53 pm
@ STL Buc??? Vanilla play calling?? What would you call?? Hilarious!!!!
August 27th, 2026 at 11:55 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch Says:
Browning getting meaningful, pressure reps at any point in the regular season I’ll be Browning my pants. I’d personally rather rely on the wildcard, you know what you’re getting wit JB and it’s not much.
———–
Browning does have experience, but man, I can’t get past his lack of velocity and the fact he aims the ball rather than throw it. That’s generally the kiss of death for any NFL QB.
The big thing to me is that I can’t see any team picking up Browning if he got released, so he’s the guy you could almost certainly have on the practice squad. And frankly, if he didn’t want to stick around, and wanted to go to the Bengals PS, for example, I wouldn’t really have an issue with it as there’s a good number of quality (by backup standards) QB’s going to be available after cuts as there’s more than a few rookie QBs performing well, so some vet backups are going to hit the wire that weren’t expected to be there.
For Daniels, his velocity and ability to run would give the Bucs a better shot I think. I mean he’s an UDFA, so early on it would be very rough if they had to play him, but if the OC was creative and moved him around and let him move his legs, I feel pretty confident he’d outperform Browning.
August 28th, 2026 at 12:30 am
I like Daniels, but you guys are crazy to think he’ll ever be a frachise QB. Career backup at best.
All the hype is based off late appearances in preseason games, when he faced low level players.
As a starter, he wouldn’t do nearly as good.
I agree that Browning needs to go…and Daniels should be an option at #2 IF the Bucs cannot find a better backup.
August 28th, 2026 at 12:31 am
And I think it’s 50-50 he clears waivers.
August 28th, 2026 at 12:32 am
I do like the thought of a couple wildcat plays in the offense though.