What We Saw From Jalon Daniels' First Practice as Buccaneers QB1

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to face off against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4 with a desperate need for a win after a 0-3 start. And they won't do it with their starting quarterback.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb and will be out for at least three weeks, potentially more. His replacement is not a journeyman backup — it's former Kansas QB Jalon Daniels, who is a rookie this year after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft.

It's a lot to ask of a rookie. But the Buccaneers trust in Daniels, and Daniels firmly believes he can get a win for the Buccaneers during this stretch.

Jalon Daniels Says First NFL Start 'Means Everything'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels (10) passes the ball against the Minnesota Vikings | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Daniels was taking QB1 reps — that includes doing a lot of the trickery and eye-candy that offensive coordinator Zac Robinson demands out of his quarterbacks. He threw with the first-team wide receivers to build chemistry, too, which he'll need to do as much as he can before the game on Sunday.

Jalon Daniels: The Bucs QB1 pic.twitter.com/9fvOr9l6ia
— Kyle Burger (@kyle_burger) September 30, 2026

"I don't even know if I can put it into words," Daniels said Wednesday. "It's a dream come true to even play for an NFL organization, so to be able to go out there and have my first career NFL start, it means everything."

It won't be easy, though. Daniels is set to make his first start against the Packers and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, and when he does, Gannon will probably try to throw a lot of unique looks at him in an effort to throw him off his game in his first NFL start.

Daniels knows that, he says. And he also knows that whenever he's having trouble, he can look to the quarterback room to help him out in a big way as he prepares for Sunday's game.

"I think I've progressed a lot," Daniels said. "Leaning on [Mayfield], leaning on Easton [Stick] has helped me a lot, especially when we're talking about being able to know what the defense is doing, different calls that I need to make in different situations."

Jalon Daniels to Emeka Egbuka. pic.twitter.com/xFNUIRahRe
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) September 30, 2026

The Bucs won't be at full strength whenever Daniels takes the field, though. Edge rushers Yaya Diaby and Rueben Bain were both working off to the side with trainers on Wednesday. Additionally, he won't have wide receiver Jalon McMillan, who headed to IR after suffering an injury to his PCL in Week 3.

Daniels has a tough task ahead of him when the Bucs face the Packers at 1 p.m. on Sunday. But based on his words today and the support his team has shown him, he'll be as ready as he can be.

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