Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 24-16 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on October 8, 2026, securing the franchise’s first win of the season while filling in for the injured Baker Mayfield.
Jalon Daniels Replaces Injured Baker Mayfield
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed a spark after dropping their first four games of the 2026 NFL season. Following a thumb injury to starting quarterback Baker Mayfield late in a Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the team turned to rookie undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels.
Despite sharing a very similar name with Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, Jalon Daniels is not related to the opposing signal-caller. The 30-year-old Mayfield suffered a thumb injury at the end of Tampa Bay’s Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and has been ruled out anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks. Before landing in Tampa Bay, Daniels played his entire, six-year college career at Kansas, where he appeared in a total of 49 games across his time with the school.
In 2022, he posted his breakout campaign by throwing for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns alongside 425 rushing yards and seven rushing scores, capturing second-team All-Big 12 honors. Although injuries affected his progress, particularly in 2023, Daniels returned to produce strong seasons in 2024 and 2025.
Despite his strong final season at Kansas, Daniels was not selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He fell to the ranks of the undrafted but was quickly scooped up by the Buccaneers, who gave him a $25,000 signing bonus and inked him to a three-year deal, indicating he was one of their top priority free agents following the draft.
The pecking order within that unit lists Baker Mayfield as the starter, followed by Jalon Daniels, with Easton Stick and Brett Rypien on the practice squad. Stick served as the backup to Daniels in the Buccaneers’ Week 4 game against the Packers.
Daniels made his first career start in a Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers, marking the first time a Jayhawks quarterback had started an NFL game since Mike Norseth in 1988.
He followed that performance on October 8 by engineering a 24-16 victory against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football in Dallas, moving his record to 1-1 as a starter in Tampa Bay.
Playing on primetime television brought an emotional reaction from the young signal-caller and his family.
“Six months ago if you would have told me my first win would have been on Thursday night Prime football game, I don’t know what I would have told you.”
Jalon Daniels, Buccaneers quarterback
Ground Game Powers Buccaneers Victory in Dallas
Tampa Bay leaned heavily on its rushing attack to support the rookie quarterback. Head coach Todd Bowles explained the team’s strategy after the game.
“When you’ve got a young quarterback, you’ve got to lean on the ground game a little bit more. I thought the offensive line took it upon themselves, as well as Bucky making some great cuts and some great plays to make that happen. And that made the game easier for Jalon, which was good to see,” Head Coach Todd Bowles said.
Todd Bowles, Buccaneers Head Coach
Running back Bucky Irving rushed for 165 yards as the Buccaneers accumulated 241 total yards on the ground.
Irving jump-started the second half with a 72-yard run on the opening play, setting up a 14-yard end-around touchdown by Emeka Egbuka.
Daniels connected with wide receiver Tez Johnson on a 64-yard completion during the next possession, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Irving.
Those explosive plays helped Tampa Bay put up a season-high 419 yards of total offense.
Backup Quarterbacks Find Early Success Across NFL
NBC Sports notes that following the Buccaneers’ triumph, clubs using a substitute signal-caller hold an 8-4 record across 12 games this year, maintaining an early-season pattern where backup starters secure more victories than defeats.
Jalon Daniels Starts Against Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6
Baker Mayfield remains sidelined with a thumb injury. While Mayfield has been campaigning to play and is pushing to return, his availability depends on whether medical staff think he can grip the football well enough after the stitches in his thumb were removed.
Bowles addressed the team’s quarterback plans for the upcoming matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Right now, we plan on starting Jalon Daniels against the Steelers,” Todd Bowles stated.
Todd Bowles, Buccaneers Head Coach
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