​The 0-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are turning to an undrafted rookie quarterback with 33 seconds of NFL experience as Baker Mayfield’s thumb injury is expected to keep him out for around three weeks.Jalon Daniels’ NFL debut came in Sunday’s loss after Mayfield got hurt, with Daniels scrambling once for 9 yards and missing all three of his pass attempts, including the Hail Mary interception to ice the Minnesota Vikings’ 23-16 win in Tampa Bay.Bucs fans are now left to wonder if giving Mayfield a $165 million extension was the right call — and whether this is destined to be a lost season. If there’s a caveat, it’s that Daniels knows a little something about facing adversity for a winless team.In 2020, as a freshman for a winless Kansas Jayhawks team, Daniels was thrown into the helpless mix and the results were predictable. He struggled, losing all six of his starts and throwing for one TD and four interceptions. But Daniels was hardly the problem that season. Without him, that Kansas team somehow would have been far worse. And Daniels — over his six college seasons — became a darned respectable player, even if injuries held him back. KU was in a bowl game two years later, and Daniels had a lot to do with it. That might provide only so much solace for Bucs fans who aren’t prepared to wait two years for Daniels to develop. But Daniels won the Bucs’ QB2 job outright in training camp and was impressive enough that the team kept only him and Mayfield on the roster to start this season.Can Daniels keep the Buccaneers afloat until Mayfield returns? It’s a tall order, but Daniels has some interesting ability and shouldn’t be dismissed until we see him in action.QB Jalon Daniels will lead the Buccaneers who are still searching for their first win of the 2026 NFL season. Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesDaniels’ long road to his first NFL startDaniels, who turns 24 next month, spent six years in college. Although he had three separate injuries of note and missed considerable time in 2023 with a back issue, Daniels had some really high notes in school.After losing the starting job his sophomore year, Daniels replaced an injured Jason Bean and led Kansas to a 37-point scoring average in three starts, including a wild 57-56 win at Texas in 2021. Daniels won the job in 2022 and led KU to five straight wins before getting hurt in a loss. He returned to the field late that season to deliver a 544-yard, five-TD passing game in a triple-OT loss to Arkansas.Daniels’ final three seasons were more frustrating than not, with injuries hurting his effectiveness. But he finished his college career with 9,282 pass yards and a 67-31 TD-INT ratio, along with 1,445 yards rushing and 23 more scores on the ground. When healthy, Daniels was one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the game, even earning brief Heisman Trophy buzz during the hot start in 2022.There were warts to his game, too. Turnovers plagued him throughout his career, especially at the end. It’s never goo