TAMPA — Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels is making a case for a roster spot at Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, drawing praise from Head Coach Todd Bowles for his ability to make difficult throws under pressure.

Daniels, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas, ripped a deep out to the left sideline while backpedaling from a collapsing pocket during a recent practice, connecting with fellow undrafted rookie Eric Rivers for a nice gain.

“I like his arm strength,” Bowles said. “He can make some very unconventional throws. Obviously, you want to see the normal stuff as well, but when he gets in trouble he can get himself out of trouble, and that’s big.”

Daniels compiled 9,282 passing yards and 67 touchdown passes across 49 games at Kansas from 2020-25, adding 1,445 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground. He could compete with Connor Bazelak for a third quarterback spot on the active roster — a role the Bucs used during the final six weeks of the 2025 season. Jake Browning has replaced Teddy Bridgewater as the veteran backup with starting experience.

Meanwhile, fourth-round pick Keionte Scott out of Miami is turning heads in the secondary after missing OTAs and minicamp due to a wrist cleanup procedure following the Scouting Combine. The Bucs have cross-trained Scott at slot corner, outside corner and safety from the start of camp — the only player on the roster listed as a “DB” instead of “CB” or “S.”

“For him, it’s been great,” Bowles said. “He went yesterday for the first time after missing the whole spring. He played corner, he played nickel and he played safety. To process that kind of information and then come out on your first day and come out today and do what he’s been doing has been phenomenal to see. It really helps him learn the defense, moving around playing different spots. His mind is outstanding, so we just look for him to keep getting better.”

Cornerback Zyon McCollum, now the elder statesman in the position group after Jamel Dean departed for Pittsburgh, echoed the praise. “They’ve probably thrown the most at him, and I understand it,” McCollum said. “He’s been playing safety, nickel and corner. He knows the entire defense. He didn’t even take a rep in OTAs [and] he comes out here and he’s already played all three spots. He’s real cerebral, he’s real smart, he understands the game, but he also has his hat on fire all the time.”

Second-year cornerback Benjamin Morrison is sidelined with a lingering hamstring issue, opening extra reps for undrafted free agent Ayden Garnes out of Arizona and veteran Damarion Williams. Garnes ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash and produced five interceptions and 27 passes defensed over 42 games at Duquesne, West Virginia and Arizona despite a 5-11, 181-pound frame. Williams, heading into his age-28 season, was drafted by Baltimore in the fourth round in 2002, appeared in 15 games for the Ravens over two seasons and signed with the Bucs’ practice squad late last season.

“Very good cover skills,” Bowles said of Garnes. “Very good cover guy. For a corner that small he’s got great feet, he’s got very good instincts.”

The Bucs donned full pads for the first time this week as position battles intensify ahead of the preseason, with 70 combined spots on the active roster and practice squad available when the regular season arrives.