Jalon Daniels went back to the tape of his second NFL start and found one thing that stood out above the rest. Asked Wednesday where he grew most between his first start and the win in Dallas, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback did not hesitate.
“I would say composure within the pocket,” Daniels said. “Just trusting my eyes, trusting what the defense was giving me. Taking number one, two in progression. And if you see a hole and it’s a gaping wide open hole, try to take it, cuz at the end of the day, you know, you’re trying to continue to move the sticks.”
Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown without an interception in the 24-16 win at AT&T Stadium, the Buccaneers’ first victory of the season. With Mayfield still not throwing because of his dislocated right thumb, Todd Bowles has said Daniels will start again Sunday when Tampa Bay hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Learning from Mayfield, in the room and on the sideline
Daniels said earlier in the week that he wants the offense to feel as close to Mayfield’s as possible, so teammates are not adjusting to him. On Wednesday he explained how that works day to day. “Asking Baker whatever questions I have as far as operation, as far as how he does a certain cadence, how he comes into the huddle and is able to call a different play, how he’s viewing the game,” he said. “The more I’m able to try to pick his brain apart and be able to learn more from him, the more it’s helping me get prepared for a game.”
Cameras caught Mayfield in Daniels’ ear on the sideline in Dallas. Daniels said the topics change by situation. “Certain situations it’s about seeing if I’m able to switch up the cadence, try to be able to make the defense jump offsides,” he said. “Sometimes it could be my eyes trying to be able to move a defense one way to try to be able to open somebody else up.”
He also praised the way Mayfield has kept leading while hurt, and connected it to his own time sidelined at Kansas with a back injury. “He’s continued to be the same person every single day,” Daniels said. “And that’s something that you can’t ask more out of your captain, your leader of your team.”
The deep ball to Tez Johnson
Daniels walked through his long completion to Tez Johnson play by play. He saw man coverage before the snap, worked a curl and an out-and-up on the left side, then came back to his third read. “I look and I see Tez just running free by himself,” he said. “And I just said, ‘Tez, I see you down there. I’m trying to throw you the ball.’ He’s one of our playmakers. If you’re able to give the ball to your playmaker in space, he has the ability to be able to go out there and make plays.”
He was just as candid about the throw he wanted back, a sideline ball that Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland had a chance to intercept. “I threw the ball and you could see me on the film. I’m like, ‘No,’” Daniels said with a laugh. “I was going to be well on my way to try to be able to save it if he did end up getting an interception.”
A front-row seat for Bucky Irving
Daniels handed off on Bucky Irving’s 72-yard run to open the third quarter and described watching it unfold behind him. “I handed the ball off and our track was a little tight, and I was like, I wonder why it’s so tight. And then I turn around, he made a move on somebody,” he said. “And at some point I’m just trying to chase him down the field.”
He credited Chandler Whitmer, new to the Buccaneers’ staff this season, for much of his growth since training camp. “I don’t know if it’s even able to be put into words how much of a help he’s been,” Daniels said. He added that film study in a room full of veteran quarterbacks is a different world from college. “It’s a different type of learning experience when you’re talking to guys who have continued to play this game for so long.”
Next up: T.J. Watt and Pittsburgh
The Steelers bring a pass rush led by T.J. Watt to Raymond James Stadium, and Daniels said the threat goes beyond one player. “That defensive line has a few other guys who have a high motor and have ability to be able to go out there and make plays, especially if you put the ball in harm’s way,” he said. “For us, it’s just going to be about continuing to keep the main thing the main thing.”
Asked whether Pittsburgh showed interest in him during the draft process, Daniels kept it short: “No, sir.” The 1-4 Buccaneers host the Steelers on Sunday, October 18, at 1 p.m. EDT.
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