Playing ball.
Bucs’ No. 3 (?) quarterback Jalon Daniels just played his way into a problem for the Bucs next weekend.
Cutdown Day is Aug. 30. Can the Bucs not keep Daniels, hoping to sneak him through waivers and get him on the practice squad? Or has he shown so much that another team (hello Todd Monken) just may claim him and then the Bucs lose Daniels?
Or do the Bucs keep him on the 53-man roster, which means someone else the Bucs hoped to keep won’t be on the team come Sunday night?
Joe guesses it is a good problem to have.
When the Bucs signed Daniels as an undrafted free agent, Joe was both happy and intrigued. Joe had watched Daniels in college and he was a dangerous quarterback. He had the arm and he had wheels, but he wasn’t overly consistent.
Joe guesses that happens when a quarterback is as hurt as Daniels often was. In college, he sure was brittle.
So far, Daniels is forcing the Bucs to take notice. On Saturday night against the Chiefs, anyone with a white cane could see he created a spark on offense.
(Chucky said during the WFLA-TV Channel 8 broadcast it was clear offensive coordinator Zac Robinson opened up the playbook for Daniels that he couldn’t use with Jake Browning.)
Asked after the game about the shot of juice that Daniels gave the beleaguered Bucs offense, he said he was just playing ball.
> “I just come in with confidence,” Daniels said. “I think I’m very confident with everything that I do within this game of football.
>
> “I’ve been playing since I was seven-years old. And when you think of it like that, when you go out there and play football, you’re kind of just like, ‘All right, bet.’
>
> “I’ve been dreaming to be in this position since I was that young, and every single opportunity that comes my way, whenever my number is called, I’m going to go out there and do it 100 percent confidently, do it out there with a smile, and go out there and play 100 percent hard.”
It’s paying off for Daniels, who very likely will be earning a real NFL salary come Sunday night.
Is he a No. 2 quarterback? Joe can’t go there yet. He’s an undrafted free agent, man. At least Browning has started a few games. And Browning, if he does have to start (God forbid), he won’t be playing behind five turnstiles like he was Saturday night. Joe was absolutely grossed out by how badly the Bucs’ backup offensive line played.
Chucky loved Daniels but Chucky did point out some things that he needs to work on. Enough that Joe’s not sure he’s ready to backup Baker Mayfield if the Bucs’ franchise quarterback has to leave a game.
At least, not yet.
Think about it: If KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles didn’t trust Kyle Trask, who was a second-round pick, it’s hard to believe he would trust Daniels being so green and raw.
And remember, Bowles needs wins and he knows it. So Joe suspects Bowles will be cautious with playing Daniels (as Bowles was with Trask).
But man, the kid is fun to watch. Just like he was at Kansas.