The Buccaneers have a real quarterback puzzle on their hands heading into Friday night’s preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jalon Daniels’ rise has given Tampa Bay a promising new option behind Baker Mayfield, but it has also complicated the conversation in the quarterback room. The Bucs brought in Jake Browning to serve as Mayfield’s backup, yet the undrafted rookie is now pressing hard for that job and could force the team into a tough decision.
There’s also another wrinkle: Connor Bazelak did not see the field in the team’s second preseason game, which leaves Daniels and Browning clearly positioned as the two quarterbacks fighting for the No. 2 spot.
Head coach Todd Bowles wasn’t willing to tip his hand after the joint practice with Jacksonville, even when asked who would start the final preseason game.
“Not yet,” Bowles said. “We're going to sit down and meet about it.”
Mayfield is not expected to play against the Jaguars, so the Buccaneers should get a long look at both Browning and Daniels on Friday night. That should give the team a better sense of where the competition stands, even if it doesn’t settle everything.
Browning’s first action in a Buccaneers uniform was uneven. He had some plays where he held the ball too long, but the problems weren’t all on him; the offense also struggled at times because of poor protection from the line and the running backs.
Daniels has looked like the more electric of the two. He has moved the offense with confidence, thrown into tight windows, escaped the pocket, and used his legs to keep drives alive. He also showed the kind of steady command that let him repeatedly push the Buccaneers into scoring range.
Whoever gets the start against Jacksonville will probably leave the stronger immediate impression, but that still may not decide the final pecking order. Tampa Bay could still choose to keep Browning as the backup for the regular season because of what he has already done as an NFL quarterback.
After the preseason finale, the Buccaneers must trim the roster to 53 players. At that point, carrying three quarterbacks remains a very real possibility, which would keep both Daniels and Browning on the active roster.
In Other News...
Bucs Need More Than Baker Mayfield To Fix A Costly Problem
Baker Mayfield has become one of the Buccaneers tone-setters on offense, the kind of quarterback who can bring some snap to a huddle that too often looked flat early last season. Tampa Bay knows the issue well by now: slow starts piled up, the energy lagged, and it all played a part in a disappointing finish. With Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs among the players stressing urgency, the message around the building has been that the offense has to arrive ready from the first series instead of trying to wake itself up later.
Wirfs, back after his injury, has been especially pointed about the offensive lines responsibility in helping set that tone. Mayfield can supply the fire, but the Bucs know that emotion alone will not solve a problem that showed up repeatedly over the course of last season. The line is expected to do more than protect him, too, with Tampa Bay wanting it to help carry the energy that the offense lacked and turn those sluggish openings into something closer to a statement. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Cutdown Day Could Reward A Few Camp Standouts
With the Buccaneers heading into their final preseason game, the real pressure point is no longer the scoreboard but the roster math. Tampa Bay must trim from 90 players to 53 soon after the exhibition slate ends, and that always creates an opening for the under-the-radar names who have spent camp making the strongest possible case. This year, a handful of standouts have done enough in training camp and preseason action to keep their names in the conversation as the front office sorts through depth and positional needs.
Garnes, Patterson, Fordham and Williams have each flashed in ways that make them worth watching when cutdown day arrives. The Buccaneers do not need to announce anything yet, and the final decisions are still ahead, but the existence of those candidacies says plenty about how competitive the back end of the roster has become. For players who were supposed to be fighting uphill all summer, that is the kind of momentum that can turn a solid August into a real chance at sticking around. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Have One Last Roster Battle Fans Need To Watch
The Buccaneers are down to their final preseason tune-up against the Jaguars, and the game comes with the kind of roster intrigue that usually matters more than the score. With the cut deadline looming, a handful of players are trying to turn a few encouraging August snaps into a place on the 53-man roster, and the spotlight is on the backup spots as much as the usual position battles.
Jalon Daniels has given Tampa Bay something to think about at quarterback, while Ayden Garnes has kept building momentum on defense and Kam Johnson has made a case through special teams value. None of that is settled yet, which is exactly why this game matters for the players on the bubble - one more chance to make the staff think twice before the roster gets trimmed. [Read more 🡒]