Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport X account this week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to SR each week via X using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: Will Jalon Daniels be the No. 2 QB by Week 1 of the regular season?

ANSWER: I’m not sure, but it’s interesting how things can change so quickly with the backup quarterback battle. Jake Browning was seemingly entrenched as the No. 2 quarterback behind Baker Mayfield before hurting his back in New York and missing the preseason opener. That allowed Jalon Daniels to go from probably playing a quarter to playing an entire half. And in that half he led two touchdown drives to outscore the Jets 14-3 for a 24-16 come-from-behind victory.

Daniels, an undrafted free agent quarterback, dazzled with his arm strength, scrambling ability and poise in the pocket versus New York – enough to warrant more practice time and playing time in the week leading up to the Chiefs game and during the game, as Connor Bazelak didn’t get any snaps against Kansas City on Saturday night. That was by design, as I think Tampa Bay wants to give him a lengthy look as they are considering keeping him on the active roster.

Bucs QB Jalon Daniels – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

In last week’s Bucs Mailbag, I suggested that Daniels would make the 53-man active roster as the third quarterback – even though Tampa Bay usually parks its third-string quarterback on the practice squad, as Bazelak was on that last year. But if the team were to try to sneak Daniels on  to the practice squad he would have to clear waivers, and that probably wouldn’t happen. He’s shown too much talent and potential through two preseason games – including the 16-15, come-from-behind win versus the Chiefs.

Now with Todd Bowles suggesting that the QB2 job is in fact open, I do think there is a chance that Daniels could work his way up to the backup job – perhaps by the season opener. On paper, Browning was 8-of-11 for 84 yards in his Bucs debut on Saturday night, but he didn’t lead the offense to any points and took three sacks. Daniels once again showed some great escapability, dodging multiple sacks and leading Tampa Bay to three straight scoring drives, including two TDs. Daniels was 9-of-14 for 71 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 23 yards before finishing with 19 due to some kneel downs in the victory formation.

Browning has 10 games of starting experience, and that’s valuable. But in my opinion, Daniels has clearly outperformed him in the games and in some practices. He’s looked like the better quarterback. Plus the rookie from Kansas has a higher ceiling than the 30-year Browning, who has been in the NFL for eight seasons. But my name isn’t Todd Bowles or Jason Licht.

It’s a risk to go with a rookie quarterback as a primary backup and only keep two QBs on the active roster. But it’s also a risk to carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man because it comes at the expense of an extra running back, wide receiver or tight end. I could see the team going either way – making Daniels QB2 and keeping just he and Mayfield, or sticking with Browning for now due to his experience with Daniels as QB3 to start the year. Either way, Daniels makes the 53-man roster.

QUESTION: What’s the over/under of a QB controversy between Baker Mayfield and Jalon Daniels when Mayfield has a bad game?

ANSWER: Well, the backup quarterback is always the popular guy, especially if the starter struggles, right? That’s not just in Tampa Bay but pretty much everywhere in the game of football. The unknown, unproven backup can be more popular because he hasn’t screwed up yet.  There were some Traskaholics – mostly Florida Gators fans – who actually thought that former backup Kyle Trask was better than Baker Mayfield a few years ago. So we’ve recently seen that right here in Tampa Bay.

It could happen again with Jalon Daniels, as there are still a few Mayfield doubters within the fan base. There are some that don’t believe he’s a franchise quarterback capable of taking the Bucs deep into the playoffs and eventually to a Super Bowl, although they are the minority. I’m sure they would be the most vocal Daniels supporters if Mayfield were to have a rough game or two.

Bucs QB Jalon Daniels – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

But let’s keep it real. Daniels is an undrafted free agent, and I don’t mean that as a slight to him as a player. He’s talented, but he went undrafted for a reason. The reason every team passed on Daniels for all seven rounds is because there is a rawness to his game right now. He has some natural ability, good instincts and a high football I.Q., but he needs to work on his mechanics – most notably his footwork.

The good news is that with a similarly sized prototype in Mayfield and with QBs coach Chandler Whitmer, pass game coordinator T.J. Yates and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, a former quarterback, surrounding him, Daniels has made some big strides rather quickly. But he is no immediate threat to displace Mayfield as a starter, and likely won’t be for a few years with more development.

That’s okay, as Mayfield will likely be signed to a multi-year extension in the 2027 offseason. But if Daniels could be developed into Mayfield’s eventual replacement down the road that would be an ideal situation. Yet that’s a long ways off and we’ll see what happens.

QUESTION: Should we be concerned about Zac Robinson’s offense?

ANSWER: No, absolutely not. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson hasn’t shown much during the preseason and has kept the game plan rather vanilla, which is to be expected. We’ve seen Tampa Bay’s offense be far more dynamic and explosive in practice than we have in the first two exhibition games. I don’t think there is any real cause for concern just yet.

I know the starting offense underwhelmed for the only two series it played in on Saturday night against Kansas City. But keep in mind that undrafted free agent Paul Rubelt was getting the start at left tackle in place of Tristan Wirfs, who sat out as he’s recovering from his hamstring injury. With Justin Skule and Ben Chukwuma also out with injuries, Robinson wasn’t going to subject Mayfield to getting hit or sacked with any drop-back passes. So the game plan was even more generic than expected, featuring a lot of runs and quick throws and screens.

Bucs OC Zac Robinson and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The only thing that concerns me is that Robinson’s offense does call for a lot of quick smoke routes and screen passes and I wouldn’t be surprised that his reliance on those plays could lead to a quick interception – perhaps a pick-six. Even in the win over Kansas City on Saturday night, rookie edge rusher R Mason Thomas knocked down a quick smoke route from Mayfield and almost created a turnover. Perhaps that near turnover will give some Robinson some pause when it comes to calling those plays.

Otherwise I really like what I’ve seen from his offense in camp. I think the run game will be much more diversified like it was under Liam Coen in 2024 with a real mix of zone and power/gap scheme. And the passing game will reflect more of what Coen installed too.

QUESTION: Rondé Barber mentioned that Todd Bowles has been able to focus on the defense because he trusts Zac Robinson. Is that why the defense looks so much better? Or is just better talent?

ANSWER: Rondé Barber, who does the color commentary for the Bucs preseason games on WFLA New Channel 8, isn’t wrong. I think head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles has been able to focus more on his side of the ball, scheming and game planning in preparation for the 2026 season. Of course that’s because new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has two years of previous play-calling experience in Atlanta.

So while Bowles doesn’t have to break in a new play-caller, I don’t think that’s why the defense looks so much better. You’ve heard me say it before – coaching matters, and it does. Coaching makes a difference in getting the most out of talent development as well as scheme. At the same time, there’s a reason why the say football is more about the Jimmys and the Joes than the X’s and the O’s.

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bowles has seen a huge uptick in talent on his defense this year in two areas – starters and depth – and I think that’s the biggest reason why it looks better. There will be as many as five new starters on defense this year with inside linebackers Alex Anzalone and Josiah Trotter, as well as outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr., defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and nickelback Keionte Scott. That’s nearly half the unit, and I think most agree that each of those players is an upgrade over the player they are replacing from last year.

The other part of the equation is that the depth on the defense has also been upgraded. As I wrote about in Friday’s SR’s FAB 5 column, I think Tampa Bay’s second-team defensive line could be more talented than some other team’s starting units. Edge rushers Al-Quadin Muhammad and David Walker and defensive tackles Elijah Roberts, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and DeMonte Capehart represent such a huge improvement over the likes of Chris Braswell, Anthony Nelson, Greg Gaines, C.J. Brewer and Roberts during his rookie season when he weighed 20 less pounds struggled at times.

Now when Bowles has to make a substitution along the defensive line there’s not the huge drop off in talent that there was a year ago. The secondary doesn’t have that kind of depth right now, but football starts up front and it’s a game won the trenches.