The Bucs came away the victor with a 24-16 win over the New York Jets in the 2026 preseason opener at Metlife Stadium on Friday night. Of course, this time of the year, it’s not about the final score, but rather for the organization to be able to evaluate its roster based on a live game situation to go along with the results throughout training camp.

There are several positional battles taking shape for Tampa Bay. One of those is the battle for the QB3 job, a likely practice squad spot. Connor Bazelak entered training camp as the No. 3 option behind Baker Mayfield and Jake Browning, and the Buccaneers gave him the start and the entire first half of reps against the Jets.

While Bazelak got the first crack at it, it was Jalon Daniels, the undrafted rookie out of Kansas, who provided arguably the finest performance of any Buccaneer — regardless of position.

Jalon Daniels Waited, Then Shined In His Bucs Debut

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

Daniels had the final 30 minutes of game time to himself and made the most of every bit of it. Daniels saw four drives under center, completing 10-of-15 passes for 111 yards, adding nine yards on the ground and a score.

Daniels had to stand on the sidelines in the first half and watch, knowing that his opportunity would come in the second half. When it did, he felt prepared.

“When you’re waiting that first half, you’re excited to go out there, and you kind of got to channel your emotions that you already have to be ready to go out there,” Daniels said after the game. “Then, when the second half came, I was just like, ‘Take that deep breath, breathe in, breathe out, and, at this point, you’re going out there and playing football.’ You can’t really look at it as anything different but the game I’ve been playing since I was 7 years old. I think that allowed me to be able to go out there comfortably and go out there and play confidently.”

The rushing touchdown, a sneak from the 1-yard line, capped off an impressive 16-play drive that extended Tampa Bay’s lead to eight. On that drive, Daniels showed poise and looked quite comfortable in offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s offense. Tampa Bay chewed up plenty of fourth-quarter clock, taking 6:24 to go 65 yards. That’s exactly what head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht want to see from the 23-year-old, whom all 32 teams — including the Buccaneers — passed on over the duration of seven rounds in the 2026 NFL Draft.

None of that matters now. All that does is how you perform when you put on pads and a uniform. And wearing No. 10 for the Buccaneers on Friday night, Daniels looked like a player determined to overtake Bazelak for the QB3 job in Tampa Bay.

“I thought he was very poised,” Bowles said. “He went in relaxed, and we knew he could make off scheduled plays out of the pocket, but he played very confident in the pocket, made the right reads, he zipped some throws. I thought he played really well.”

Daniels showcased plenty of dual-threat ability during his time at Kansas. It was good to see him succeed against New York by standing in the pocket and delivering throws on time. Daniels has a lively arm — that was on display with his 35-yard completion to wide receiver Garrett Greene on his third pass attempt of the game. That drive went 12 plays and ended in a 12-yard rushing score by running back Josh Williams.

“It was huge. It means he was learning the offense,” Bowles said of Daniels’ poise in the pocket. “He took what they gave him, he didn’t try to get out of there too fast, and he was calm under pressure. He let the system work for him as opposed to trying to make a play and be seen.”

The completion to Greene was a bold throw from Daniels in a tight window. He read the coverage perfectly, and showed in that moment that he feared nothing on the MetLife turf.

Jalon Daniels Or Connor Bazelak: Who Will Be Bucs’ QB3?

As for Bazelak, his night was largely a mixed bag. The final stat line reads 12-of-20 for 72 yards and, to be fair, he did see time against the Jets’ first-string defense, while Daniels did not. That being said, the Bucs struggled to move the ball with Bazelak, punting it away on 4-of-5 possession (three 3-and-outs). Bowles, however, saw some positives from Bazelak’s game.

“He’d like to have some throws back, but I thought he was poised in the pocket as well,” Bowles said. “He made some throws, and he got us down the field. We just couldn’t cash in a little bit, but he got us down in the red zone, and it wasn’t too big for him. They zeroed him out a few times, and he was very cool, collected that way. So, I thought he managed the game pretty good.”

Bucs QBs Jalon Daniels and Connor Bazelak – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

To be clear, nothing is settled just yet. This was the first of three preseason games, and both Daniels and Bazelak will see plenty of work in the next two contests.

But Friday night was the first impression. It was Daniels who met the moment.

“You live in the moment,” Daniels said. “Truly being able to take in every single second of it, not looking at it as something that is too big because like I said, I dreamed of this opportunity since I was a child. Being able to go out there and be able to play NFL football… it’s a dream come true.”