With Baker Mayfield out and veteran backup Jake Browning nursing an injury, Connor Bazelak may be the next man up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in tonight’s preseason opener against the New York Jets.
If Browning can’t go, Bazelak and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels would handle all the quarterback reps.
For Bazelak, this is the kind of chance that can change how a team views a young quarterback. He entered the league undrafted out of Bowling Green, then won the Buccaneers’ third-string job in 2025 by beating out Kyle Trask.
In the preseason, he completed 32 of 46 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown. Still, he never got into a regular-season game, because Teddy Bridgewater was Tampa Bay’s backup behind Mayfield.
Bazelak’s college path was a winding one. He started at Missouri, where he spent three seasons and was the main starter for two of them.
From there, he moved to Indiana for a year before finishing at Bowling Green over his final two seasons. In 58 college games, he threw for 12,349 yards and 66 touchdowns against 39 interceptions.
At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Bazelak has the size NFL teams want at the position, along with plenty of game experience. The question has always been whether his athletic ability and arm talent are enough to make up for the reasons he went undrafted in the first place.
Tonight gives him a real shot to show Tampa Bay he can push past those concerns, whether Browning is available or not.
In Other News...
Saints Receiver Room Suddenly Has A Camp Concern Fans Know Too Well
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The situation comes with the usual caveat that not every early exit turns into a long-term issue, but it still lands in a division where other teams are dealing with their own camp storylines. In Tampa Bay, Emeka Egbuka was also limited by a minor toe injury that ended his practice early, a reminder that even the smallest preseason knocks can shape how teams handle the next few days of work. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Open Preseason With Pressure On A Few Critical Roster Battles
The preseason opener against the Jets arrives with the usual asterisk that the starters are not expected to play, which pushes the focus onto the roster fights underneath the headline names. For Tampa Bay, that makes this first game less about the scoreboard and more about the handful of players trying to make a case when the margins are tight and the snaps are limited.
Among the more watched battles are on defense and at tight end, where Chris Braswell and Anthony Nelson are competing for a spot that does not look built for both of them. Devin Culp is also trying to gain ground in a crowded tight end group, and the early preseason reps could matter a lot for a player who needs to separate himself quickly. [Read more 🡒]