EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Backup quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 10 of 15 passes for 111 yards and added a one-yard touchdown rush, and cornerback Ayden Garnes returned an interception 47 yards for a score as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New York Jets 24-16 at MetLife Stadium in the preseason opener Friday evening.
With starter Baker Mayfield sidelined for the exhibition and backup Jake Browning out with a back injury, Connor Bazelak started and played the first half, completing 12 of 20 attempts for 72 yards. Daniels took over after halftime and orchestrated two scoring drives, including a 12-play, 80-yard march capped by first-year running back Josh Williams’ 12-yard scoring run that gave Tampa Bay a 17-13 advantage it never relinquished.
“I thought he was very poised,” Head Coach Todd Bowles said of Daniels. “He went in relaxed. We knew he could make off-schedule plays out of the pocket but he played very confident in the pocket and he made the right reads. He zipped some throws in there. I thought he played very well.”
Williams finished with 27 yards on eight carries, making a quick lateral cut on his touchdown run and accelerating through the hole on the inside shoulder of the tackle. Daniels punched in his own one-yard score up the middle in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
The Buccaneers’ defense produced two takeaways and four sacks. Garnes’ second-quarter pick-six shifted momentum, and on the very next Jets possession safety Rashad Wisdom intercepted a deflected pass to put the offense right back on the field. Undrafted rookie Jack Pyburn recorded two of the four sacks, while defensive lineman Elijah Roberts and cornerback Damarion Williams each added one. Second-year outside linebacker David Walker, who missed the entirety of the 2025 season with a torn ACL, disrupted the pocket on both takeaways.
“He’s getting better,” Bowles said of Garnes. “We knew he could cover. That was the biggest thing about him, missing tackles. He missed one early, I think he let Breece [Hall] out one time, but he came back with the pick. He doesn’t carry plays. The next play he forgets about it like a good corner should do. He’s getting better every week.”
The Buccaneers’ second preseason game is expected next week as the roster competition intensifies ahead of final 53-man cuts.