EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A pair of undrafted free agents made the strongest case for roster spots as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened their preseason with a 24-16 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, with cornerback Ayden Garnes returning an interception 47 yards for a touchdown and quarterback Jalon Daniels completing 10 of 15 passes for 111 yards and adding a one-yard scoring run in the second half.

Both Garnes and Daniels signed with the Buccaneers as undrafted free agents in May. Head Coach Todd Bowles rested all starters, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, and used the game to evaluate second- and third-string players while the Jets played their starters for most of the first quarter.

“It was just about the mental toughness,” Bowles said. “A lot of young guys got to play for the first time under the lights, with referees and live bullets. I thought there were little jitters in the first half; they came back out and settled down and they closed the game out. They started communicating and I thought they played decent in the second half.”

New York jumped out to a 10-0 lead, keyed by Braelon Allen’s 31-yard touchdown run and a 27-yard Cade York field goal. Chase McLaughlin’s 23-yard field goal got Tampa Bay on the board before Garnes picked off Jets quarterback Bailey Zappe on an intermediate seam pass and weaved 47 yards untouched for the game-tying score. York’s 38-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter gave the Jets a 16-10 halftime lead.

Daniels took over in the second half after second-year passer Connor Bazelak started and completed 12 of 20 passes for 72 yards. Daniels directed two touchdown drives, displaying command on the move and poise in the pocket. First-year running back Josh Williams supported him with eight carries for 27 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave Tampa Bay a lead it would not surrender.

“When the second half came, I was just like, ‘Alright, take that deep breath. Breathe in, breathe out,’” Daniels said. “At this point, you’re going out there and playing football. You can’t look at it as any different than the game that I’ve been playing since I was seven years old. I think that allowed me to go out there comfortably and be able to play confidently.”

With the Bucs clinging to a one-point lead with nine minutes remaining, Daniels engineered a drive kept alive when a Jets penalty on a punt led Bowles to go for it on fourth-and-six. Daniels found undrafted rookie wide receiver Dean Patterson for just enough to move the chains, eventually capping the drive with his one-yard keeper. “I thought he was very poised,” Bowles said of Daniels, a longtime star at Kansas. “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.”

Tampa Bay’s defense forced the game’s only two takeaways and recorded four sacks — two by undrafted rookie outside linebacker Jack Pyburn, with defensive lineman Elijah Roberts and cornerback Damarion Williams adding one each. Safety Rashad Wisdom hauled in a deflected pass for the second interception one series after Garnes’ pick-six.

“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 times, 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.”

Bowles credited General Manager Jason Licht and the scouting department for the undrafted talent on display. “That’s the part that goes unseen and you never hear about these guys,” Bowles said. “I think Jason and his staff do a great job doing the little things and finding the right guys. And that’s hard to do in free agency with the money going everywhere and guys being picked by every team. But to find the right guys for our team and trust them to learn the system, and the coaches putting them to work and putting them in the right position, I think it’s a great collaboration.”

The Buccaneers continue preseason play with their second exhibition game, where Garnes, Daniels, Pyburn and the rest of the undrafted class will look to build on their cases for the 53-man roster ahead of final cuts.