Jalon Daniels hasn’t started an NFL game yet, but he already has a believer in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ backfield. Running back Kenny Gainwell sat down with Athlon Sports’ Luke Easterling this week and didn’t hold back when the conversation turned to the undrafted rookie who will start Sunday in place of the injured Baker Mayfield.
“We definitely don’t like losing QB1. We definitely don’t like losing Bake, man,” Gainwell said. “But I truly believe that Jalon is one of the special young talents that’s in this league that a lot of people haven’t gotten the opportunity to see.” He went further, too. “He’s a special man, he’s truly got good arm talent, he can read defenses and do everything we want him to do,” Gainwell said.
Why Gainwell’s endorsement carries weight
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Gainwell has seen good quarterback play up close. He spent four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and won a Super Bowl there, then put up more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year before signing a two-year deal with Tampa Bay in March. When a veteran with that résumé vouches for a rookie, teammates tend to listen.
The Bucs need that kind of confidence right now. They’re 0-3, Mayfield is out at least three weeks with a dislocated thumb, and Daniels’ only regular-season action was a relief series against Minnesota in which he went 0-for-3 with an interception. Gainwell didn’t sugarcoat where things stand. “It’s truly tough right now, being 0-3,” he told Easterling, before adding that the “locker room is in high spirits.”
Gainwell could help his quarterback more than anyone on Sunday. He’s been quiet so far, with 10 carries for 21 yards and six catches for 22 yards through three games behind Bucky Irving, but his value has always been as a safety valve in the passing game. A rookie making his first start is going to need check-downs, and Gainwell told Easterling he takes pride in “taking advantage of those opportunities.”
Daniels gets his shot when the Green Bay Packers visit Raymond James Stadium at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
