Jalon Daniels didn’t reach for a complicated speech when asked about leading the Buccaneers. He reached for a thermostat.
“You can’t be a thermometer. You have to be the thermostat,” Daniels told reporters Wednesday as Tampa Bay prepared to host the Green Bay Packers with the team sitting at 0-3.
The undrafted rookie said he picked up that idea in college, and he’s carrying it into his new role behind injured starter Baker Mayfield. Daniels said his job is to “set the temperature of the room” rather than simply absorb whatever energy is already there.
“So if the team is low, I have to be able to pick it up to make sure that they’re even. If we’re high, then I have to be able to be low to make sure that we’re even,” Daniels said.
He summed up his approach in simple terms: stay steady, and let that steadiness spread.
“I try to be as even-keeled as possible, and I think being able to go out there and have that even-keel feel, the team around you feels that,” he said.
Daniels’ rise to this spot has been a quick one. Tampa Bay signed him as an undrafted free agent on May 8 after six seasons at Kansas, where he finished second in Jayhawks history in passing yards and passing touchdowns and tied the school record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.
Even with that college production, concerns about his accuracy and his ability to read defenses kept him from hearing his name called in the draft.
The 6-foot, 220-pound quarterback answered with a strong preseason. He went 27 of 44 for 239 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, while also adding 37 rushing yards and a rushing score. He also helped fuel second-half comebacks in wins over the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.
That stretch made Daniels the first undrafted rookie in Buccaneers history to open a season as the team’s primary backup quarterback, and he beat out veteran Jake Browning for the job.
Now he’s being asked to step in after Mayfield dislocated his right thumb late in Tampa Bay’s 23-16 Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. An MRI showed no fracture or ligament damage, but head coach Todd Bowles said, “Right now we’re probably talking a minimum of three weeks.”
Daniels briefly entered that game against Minnesota and finished 0 for 3 with a game-ending interception, while also running once for 9 yards.
“He’s very bright,” Bowles said Monday via NBC Sports. “We’re just expecting him to do his job, play at a high level, as he expects from himself.”
Bowles also said the Buccaneers will likely add a veteran or practice squad quarterback behind Daniels.
The Packers, who are 1-2, come to Tampa Bay on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Injury Concern Just Got Worse At The Worst Time
The Buccaneers are already juggling a growing injury list, and the timing could hardly be worse as they get ready for Green Bay. Baker Mayfield, Rueben Bain Jr., Jalen McMillan and Josiah Trotter have all been part of the health conversation this week, and now another key name has been added to the mix.
Chris Godwin landed on the injury report with an ankle issue and did not take part in practice, leaving Tampa Bay with even more to monitor before the Packers arrive. For a team trying to stay steady through the week, the concern now stretches beyond who is available to who can get through the prep work in time. [Read more 🡒]
Gronk Just Turned Up Pressure On The Buccaneers Biggest Decision
Rob Gronkowskis latest comments landed at a rough moment for Tampa Bay, with the Buccaneers staring at an 0-3 start and already dealing with the kind of early-season instability that can force hard conversations. Gronk pointed to the absence of Mike Evans and Lavonte David as part of the reason the team has struggled, and he framed the situation as one that may demand more than just a quick fix. The pressure is only sharper because the Bucs have had to turn to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniel at quarterback while Baker Mayfield nurses an injury.
For an organization that has spent recent years trying to stay in the contender conversation, the next step is no longer just about getting healthy. It is about whether the current structure can steady itself soon enough to prevent a bad start from becoming something far more serious. Gronkowski openly raised the possibility of change on the coaching side, putting Todd Bowles squarely in the middle of a discussion Tampa Bay would prefer to avoid this early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Suddenly Face A Week 4 Concern They Cant Ignore
The Buccaneers are heading into Week 4 with an injury report that already looks like a storyline in itself, and it comes at a time when the margin for error is getting thin. Tampa Bay has several important offensive and defensive pieces either missing or limited in practice, creating some unease around a roster that has been trying to stay steady through the first month.
Chris Godwin Jr. was among the notable absences because of an ankle injury, while Rueben Bain Jr. is still working back from groin and shoulder issues. The bigger concern for Tampa Bay may be the quarterback situation, with the team hoping Baker Mayfield can return soon without needing a trip to injured reserve, a decision point that could shape how the Buccaneers navigate the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]