The Bucs have a unique challenge ahead of them on Sunday afternoon as they open the 2024 season by hosting Jayden Daniels and the Commanders at Raymond James Stadium.

Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 Draft and last year’s Heisman Trophy winner at LSU, will be making his NFL debut against Todd Bowles’ Bucs defense. Despite some anecdotal evidence to the contrary, it’s generally no easy task for a rookie quarterback to go up against a defensive mastermind like Bowles.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels – Photo by: USA Today

But at the same time, there’s no denying that Jayden Daniels has the potential to create some problems for Tampa Bay when Washington comes to town to kick off the season. Daniels is a true dual-threat quarterback, one who will be looking to quickly make a splash in the NFL after running for 2,019 yards and 21 touchdowns over the last two years at LSU to go with his 6,725 yards and 57 touchdowns through the air.

“Any time you face a dual-threat quarterback, it’s going to be a problem. He can beat you with his legs or his arm,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said Monday. “He was taken that high for a reason. He’s very accurate, very calm in the pocket, has a good mastery of the offense from what we’ve seen… It’s going to be tough trying to keep him in the pocket and trying to cover those guys.”

#Bucs HC Todd Bowles on facing Jayden Daniels pic.twitter.com/btguxkayci

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As much as Daniels can hurt defenses with his legs, there’s also the matter of what he can do through the air. Those 57 passing touchdowns over his last two collegiate seasons went against just seven interceptions as he completed 70.2% of his passes.

“He’s accurate,” Bowles said. “That about says it all. He’s accurate. He understands what he’s doing, he knows where to place the ball at, and he’s very good at it.”

In two preseason games, Daniels completed 12-of-15 passes for 123 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, and a passer rating of 100.8. He also ran the ball three times for 16 yards and a touchdown against the Jets.

What Does Todd Bowles Think About Preparing For Jayden Daniels?

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Jayden Daniels’ skill set makes him difficult enough to game plan for. That’s without even considering that there’s very little NFL film of him, as all he has under his belt is the preseason. So, what does Todd Bowles think about that element of the challenge that lies ahead for him and his defense?

“Really, it’s Week 1 in general,” Bowles said. “Every time you start the season out, you have no idea what the other team is going to do. You have your basic plays, but then you have every other thing you’ve got to prepare for. We’ve got to read our keys and we’ve got to play our assignments and see what we see.”

As complimentary as Bowles was of Washington’s rookie quarterback, his messaging was consistent throughout his Monday press conference. For the Bucs, it’s not about them vs. Jayden Daniels. It’s about them vs. the Commanders.

“I think if you find yourself just facing a rookie quarterback, the other 10 guys are going to kill you,” Bowles said. “We’re facing the [Commanders], we’re not facing Jayden Daniels. They’ve got 10 other guys that we’ve got to worry about, as well. We don’t look at it as facing a rookie quarterback – we’re trying to beat the [Commanders].”

Jayden Daniels Steps Into A Good Situation As A Rookie

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and RB Brian Robinson Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

As Todd Bowles alluded to, the Commanders have plenty of talent on offense for Jayden Daniels to work with. That’s why for the Bucs, it can’t be all about Daniels himself.

“I mean, they’ve got a ton of them. They can play them all. They’ve got a ton of them,” Bowles said. “They’ve got two running backs, obviously, [Austin] Ekeler and [Brian] Robinson. They’ve got [Terry] McLaurin, they’ve got [Noah] Brown, they’ve got [Luke] McCaffrey, they’ve got [Zach] Ertz at tight end, they drafted the kid from Kansas State [tight end Ben Sinnott] that can play very well. They’ve got a lot of options.”

With all of that said, though, Bowles and the Bucs know firsthand how quickly a rookie quarterback can settle into the NFL when they’re in the right situation. They saw that last year with C.J. Stroud, who threw for a rookie record 470 yards in the Texans’ 39-37 win over Bowles’ Bucs last November. Stroud went on to when Offensive Rookie of the Year honors as he threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns to five interceptions while running for another three scores. Not to mention, Stroud took Houston to the playoffs in his first season.

“I mean, right team, right fit, you have success,” Bowles said. “C.J. [Stroud] was a great quarterback last year, and there were a few others. Jayden is probably going to be a great quarterback, as well.”

Jayden Daniels has all the tools to be a great quarterback in the NFL the way he was in college. And he has some weapons to work with in Washington, so his coming-out party in the league may not be far off. But it’s up to Todd Bowles and the Bucs to make sure it doesn’t happen for him in Week 1.