Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles Shares Thoughts on Commanders QB Jayden Daniels

Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are studying up on the Washington Commanders — and their star quarterback.

Aug 25, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) warms up before playing a preseason game against the New England Patriots at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles is 10-5 against rookie quarterbacks across his career (10-4, if you don't count a game against Desmond Ridder in Atlanta when he sat starters). That's an impressive resume, and on Sunday, he has a chance to add to it.

The Buccaneers and Bowles are set to face the Washington Commanders, who will be piloted by rookie signal caller Jayden Daniels. Daniels, who won the Heisman Trophy last year at LSU for a stellar campaign that saw him toss 40 touchdowns and run for 10 more, is a dual-threat quarterback who could be lethal in the NFL.

Bowles knows that. And he knows that keeping a player like him down is no easy task.

"Any time you face a dual-threat quarterback, it’s going to be a problem. He can beat you with his legs or his arm," Bowles said. "He was taken that high for a reason. He’s very accurate, very calm in the pocket, has a good mastery of the offense from what we’ve seen… It’s going to be tough trying to keep him in the pocket and trying to cover those guys.”

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Daniels himself was very complimentary of Bowles' schemes on defense, so the admiration is mutual. Bowles won't be caught off guard (when it comes to defensive gameplanning, at least) and will likely have a plan to keep Daniels in check.

But that's not the only way you beat a football team. The Buccaneers aren't just playing Jayden Daniels, and Bowles knows that, too.

“I think if you find yourself just facing a rookie quarterback, the other 10 guys are going to kill you. We’re facing the [Commanders], we’re not facing Jayden Daniels," Bowles said. "They’ve got 10 other guys that we’ve got to worry about, as well. We don’t look at it as facing a rookie quarterback – we’re trying to beat the [Commanders].”

The Buccaneers and the Commanders will want to start off their season on the right foot, and barring a tie, only one of them will get their way. And the key for the Bucs to swing it their direction is twofold — to stop Jayden Daniels, and to keep an eye on everyone else.

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