Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Jalon Daniels has been the underdog his entire football career. So, when he went undrafted for the NFL, he put his head down and began to work twice as hard.
Daniels went through the entire Buccaneers training camp and found out last week that he made the 53-man roster and will be the primary backup to Baker Mayfield.
“It feels great,” the athlete told the media last week. “It’s a blessing. It’s great to be here. Great to be a part of the Buccaneers organization, and I look forward to being able to continue getting better here.”
Though the Buccaneers might have missed out on him on draft night, Daniels knows God’s had a plan for everything.
“I have God on my side, and I truly believe that everything that I’ve been able to do up to this point has been because of Him,” he told reporters after the Bucs’ final preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. “So, I’m not going to lose faith. I’m going to keep my faith in God, and at the end of the day, everything that’s going to happen happens for a reason. I’m going to let God handle those decisions.”
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When asked if he cared that he was an undrafted free agent just a few weeks ago, he responded, “My journey is my journey.”
“God put me in this position for a reason,” he explained. “Something my mom told me after the draft was, ‘I don’t know why you’re in this position, but at the end of the day it’s happening to you for a reason. I think that God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.'”
“If I’m in a position where I have to show others that this mountain can be moved, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Daniels continued. “I’m going to go out there and do everything that I can to be able to make plays. Draft pick, UDFA, it doesn’t matter. I got the opportunity to come out here and play NFL football, so I’m forever grateful for that.”
According to Sports Spectrum, in his first preseason NFL game, Daniels “went 10-for-15 passing with 111 yards and also gained nine yards on three carries to go with a rushing touchdown. In Tampa Bay’s second preseason game, Daniels was 9-for-14 passing for 71 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 19 yards on seven carries. He got the majority of reps at quarterback in the Bucs’ final preseason game, going 8-for-15 passing for 57 yards with four carries for nine yards.”
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Daniels and the Buccaneers face off against the Cincinnati Bengals for the first regular season NFL game of the season on Sept. 13.
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