Buccaneers Reveal Who They're Planning to Start at Quarterback vs. Steelers

It took a while, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially got their first win on Thursday night.

Tampa Bay bested the Cowboys 24-16 to move to 1-4 on the year. There's still a lot of work to do and things to clean up, but Tampa Bay ran the ball exceptionally well and the defense showed up in a big way to help secure the victory.

The first win of the season didn't come with starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, though. It came with backup quarterback Jalon Daniels under center, who executed the offense well and took care of the football to help Tampa Bay win. Daniels is now 1-1 as a starter in Tampa Bay — but with a long week off and the Pittsburgh Steelers coming two Sundays from now, will he get to play a third game?

Head coach Todd Bowles spoke to media on Friday after the win, and he revealed who the Bucs are planning to go with against the Steelers — for now.

Bucs Rolling With Jalon Daniels in Week 6

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels (10) rushes the ball against the Dallas Cowboys | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bowles confirmed to the media that while he still needs to see what Mayfield looks like and how he can grip the football after the stitches in his thumb were removed, he's planning on going with Daniels against the Steelers at the moment.

"Right now, we plan on starting Jalon Daniels against the Steelers," Bowles said.

Todd Bowles says that he’ll see what Baker Mayfield looks like when he comes in and how he’s able to grip the ball, but the team is planning on starting Jalon Daniels again against the Steelers
— River Wells (@riverhwells) October 9, 2026

Starting two games and appearing at the end of one, Daniels has thrown two touchdowns and three interceptions on 55 attempts for 337 yards. Daniels has also been a significant threat on the ground, already amassing 87 yards on 16 carries.

Despite Daniels being the plan for Week 6, it will be interesting to see if Mayfield begins to practice or has an outside shot at playing against Pittsburgh. Mayfield has been campaigning to play the game, per NFL insider James Palmer, and if the medical staff thinks he can grip the football well enough, Bowles may be faced with the decision to rest Mayfield or to let him get back in after the team has gotten its first win of the season.

Coach Baker Mayfield could return to player Baker Mayfield next week against the Steelers. I'm told Mayfield is pushing to play but it's 10 days out and it's too early for the Bucs to know medically if he can go. The stitches were taken out Monday and it's a matter of his thumb…
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) October 9, 2026

Mayfield has started three games for Tampa Bay and has thrown for 615 yards on 96 attempts with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Bucs have the rest of the week off before preparing for the Steelers, who they'll play on Oct. 18. That's plenty of time for Mayfield to recover, but it's also plenty of time for the Bucs to continue game planning with Daniels and the skill set he has as he goes into what is currently set to be his third NFL start.

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