The Buccaneers are 2-0 in the preseason. The scoreboard says 16-15 and that's a great thing. But as always, Bucs fans deserve the honest breakdown, not just the celebration. Here's the full picture from Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.
THE PEWTER (The Good)
Jalon Daniels, QB
We have officially moved past the point of calling this a pleasant surprise. Jalon Daniels is looking like a legitimate NFL quarterback. In two preseason games, the undrafted kid from Kansas has engineered five scoring drives, both coming entirely in the second half of games the Bucs were losing at halftime. He went 9 for 14 for 71 passing yards including a two-yard touchdown pass across his body to Ko Kieft, rushed for 23 yards, and his play on the move really stood out during a night when Jake Browning was pressured on 58% of his dropbacks and sacked three times. The contrast between what Daniels provides and what the backup line gave Browning all night was staggering. More on that in a moment.
The Outside Linebacker Group
Let's give this position group its proper flowers because what the Bucs' outside linebackers showed Saturday night against the Kansas City Chiefs was genuinely special. Anthony Nelson was an absolute force, totaling 1.5 sacks including a strip sack on Justin Fields in the first quarter that completely changed the complexion of the opening quarter. He then combined with Mohamed Kamara for a massive 20-yard sack on a third-down attempt that pushed the Chiefs back and forced a field goal attempt. Kamara himself was consistently disruptive throughout the night, collapsing pockets and giving Chiefs quarterbacks no comfort zone from the edge. Rueben Bain, Jr. and Yaya Diaby continued their strong camps with consistent pressure of their own. All of the outside linebackers showed up, all contributed, and all made a compelling case that this position group has genuine NFL-caliber depth.
The Cornerback Group: Steady, Physical, and Locked In
Through two preseason games, the Buccaneers' cornerbacks have been one of the most encouraging position groups on the entire roster. Zyon McCollum was physical and assignment-sound all night, doing his job quietly and consistently while the playmakers around him got the headlines. Roman Parodie delivered the game's defining play, reading the bobbled ball in the air perfectly for the fourth-quarter interception that set up the go-ahead touchdown and ultimately won the game. McCollum spoke to the media after the game and his confidence in this group's ability to execute scheme under pressure came through clearly. The corners are playing with purpose and discipline. That's exactly what Todd Bowles needs from this group heading into the regular season.
Caden Fordham, LB
Undrafted free agent linebacker, Caden Fordham, out of NC State has looked good no matter when he’s been inserted into game action. He doesn’t look out of place even playing late in the first quarter. He assignment-sound, physical, instinctive, and comfortable in space. Through two preseason games, Fordham has quietly made a compelling case that he is this team's fifth linebacker. While others around him at that depth have looked out of place at times, Fordham has looked like he belongs. Keep your eye on this one. The Buccaneers may have found a legitimate contributor hiding in plain sight.
Dean Patterson and Kam Johnson, WR
The depth receiver competition is one of the best stories of this entire preseason. Patterson led all receivers with 6 catches for 56 yards including a gorgeous 24-yard toe-tap reception that reminded everyone watching why this kid has been turning heads all camp. Johnson matched that yardage total with his own standout performance. The final few roster spots at wide receiver are now a genuine competition, and both men made it significantly harder on the coaching staff to make those decisions. That's exactly what you want to see from your depth players in preseason football.
THE PROBLEMATIC (The Bad)
Jake Browning's Night
Let's be clear about something important before we get into this: a significant portion of what happened to Jake Browning Saturday night was not on him. He completed 9 of 12 attempts for 84 yards and showed good decision-making throughout. But the circumstances around him were genuinely brutal. Browning was pressured on 58% of his dropbacks and was sacked three times. That is an indefensible rate for any quarterback to operate under, and the responsibility for that lands squarely on the offensive line, primarily the horrible tackle play. Browning did what he could. His line let him down repeatedly and badly.
Zac Robinson's Play Calling With the Starters
This one needs to be said. When Baker Mayfield wasn't handing off to a running back, he was throwing screens. Two drives. Zero points. No downfield shots. Now, the coaching staff may have simply been protecting their starting quarterback in a preseason game, and that's a defensible choice. But if that's the plan, Zac Robinson needs to find a better balance between protecting Baker and actually showing the offense something meaningful. Preseason games matter for rhythm, timing, and chemistry. Everyone knows how big of a fan I was of Liam Coen as early as Preseason, because his offense flowed immediately. A glorified walkthrough isn't helping anyone.
THE PAINFUL (The Ugly)
Dropping Bain and Diaby Into Coverage: Todd Bowles Doing Todd Bowles Things
Here is the one that had this observer genuinely shaking his head Saturday night. On the first defensive series of the game, six total plays,Todd Bowles dropped Rueben Bain Jr. and Yaya Diaby into coverage not once but twice. Let that sink in.
Rueben Bain Jr. The "Hurricane." Your first-round pick. The most terrifying pass rusher on this roster. Dropped into coverage. Twice. In six plays.
This is the Todd Bowles coaching quirk that drives fans absolutely crazy and with good reason. There is a time and a place for the occasional surprise coverage drop from a pass rusher, and that element of unpredictability has genuine value in the right situation. But Bowles doesn't use it as a surprise. He uses it as a regular part of his rotation, and that is a fundamentally different thing. A surprise is valuable precisely because it is unexpected. When you do it repeatedly, it stops being a surprise and starts being a waste of your best pass rushers.
Rueben Bain Jr. and Yaya Diaby were brought to this defense to get after the quarterback. That is what they do best. That is what they were built for. Asking them to drop into coverage instead of letting them tee off on an offensive tackle and make life miserable for a quarterback is asking a thoroughbred racehorse to pull a plow. The concept isn't wrong. The frequency is. Bowles needs to match his players to what they do best, use the coverage drop as a genuine surprise element when it matters most, and otherwise let his pass rushers rush. The league is too good at exploiting mismatched personnel for Todd Bowles to keep doing this and expect different results. It's a small sample size in a preseason game. But it's a pattern we've seen before. And it's one worth calling out early.
The bottom line: Two preseason wins. A pass rush group that is legitimately exciting. A cornerback group playing with discipline and purpose. And an undrafted rookie quarterback who keeps winning football games. But beneath the wins, the offensive line depth without Tristan Wirfs is a legitimate vulnerability, Todd Bowles' insistence on dropping his best pass rushers into coverage is a pattern that needs addressing, the special teams unit has problems that need fixing, and the clock is ticking on all of it with the regular season opener 20 days away. Win the moment. Fix the problems. Get Wirfs healthy. The rest will take care of itself.
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Jake Browning's Night
Let's be clear about something important before we get into this: a significant portion of what happened to Jake Browning Saturday night was not on him. He completed 9 of 12 attempts for 84 yards and showed good decision-making throughout. But the circumstances around him were genuinely brutal. Browning was pressured on 58% of his dropbacks and was sacked three times. That is an indefensible rate for any quarterback to operate under, and the responsibility for that lands squarely on the offensive line, primarily the horrible tackle play. Browning did what he could. His line let him down repeatedly and badly.
Jake Browning's role in those pressures/sacks should not be ignored. That dude was holding onto the ball for way too long on some of those plays. Of course the OL was a part, but he didn't do himself any favors.
it puts the Bucs in an interesting spot. Do they maybe carry 3 QBs to start the year?
the whole reason they signed Browning was to have a competent back-up if Baker was injured or injured/ineffective like we saw last year. Browning, albeit not a great 2025, has had significant playing time in his first 3 seasons as a back-up QB so the hope was that he can maybe game manage a win or two if Baker was to miss a few games. I think the Bucs had the intention that they would comfortable resting Baker in a pinch (i.e. think to Arizona game last year)
Daniels is playing pretty good but would the Bucs actually make him #2 based off the limited play so far? It's certainly possible and maybe even likely at this point. He's played so well that it's unlikely they can stash him on the practice squad without him being plucked.
so what say you happens
Option A - Bucs keep 3 QBs to start year
Option B - Bucs keep Browning and try to practice squad Daniels
Option C - Bucs keep Daniels and cut Browning
Zac Robinson's Play Calling With the Starters
This one needs to be said. When Baker Mayfield wasn't handing off to a running back, he was throwing screens. Two drives. Zero points. No downfield shots. Now, the coaching staff may have simply been protecting their starting quarterback in a preseason game, and that's a defensible choice
i think that was the choice. and almost a necessity after a rookie penalty
Option C - Bucs keep Daniels and cut Browning
Just going off of the games, that's what they should do. I thought Browning was pretty bad, for different reasons, during both games.
Obviously, I haven't seen what they have in practice.
Jake Browning's role in those pressures/sacks should not be ignored. That dude was holding onto the ball for way too long on some of those plays. Of course the OL was a part, but he didn't do himself any favors.
Dude isn't good. Inflated stats in the bengals offense.
He's a middle of the pack backup
Option C - Bucs keep Daniels and cut Browning
Zero chance this is happening. He’s super raw, wouldn’t be fair to him or the team.
This could happen because nobody wants Browning and he'd clear waivers. So regardless of who's really the #2 Browning would clear waivers and Jalon wouldn't. The Bucs can bring him back as emergency QB with Jalon as the backup in case he has to come in during the game, but if you need an experienced backup for a couple weeks you could then activate Browning to full active status if you felt more comfortable doing that. I'm not saying they will do that, but they could.Option C - Bucs keep Daniels and cut Browning
Zero chance this is happening. He’s super raw, wouldn’t be fair to him or the team.
