Bucs' horrible short-term QB decisions may hurt Jets' long-term future

If the 2026 season were to end after Week 3, the New York Jets would have three picks in the Top 10 of the 2027 NFL Draft thanks to the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, and Indianapolis Colts. However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may end up throwing a wrench in these plans.

The Bucs, already 0-3 on the season, may lose quarterback Baker Mayfield for a handful of games after he suffered a dislocated thumb in their Week 3 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings. The team neglected to add a veteran backup in the offseason, meaning that undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will be in line to start if Mayfield is going to be on the mend.

Who do the Bucs' next two games come against? The Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, naturally! With Daniels possibly in line to get roughed up against two very beatable teams who could use this Tampa Bay team as a get-right game, the Jets may see their prized assets lose just a bit of luster.

New York Jets could see 2027 NFL Draft position ruined by Jalon Daniels

No matter what, the Jets will have Indianapolis' first-rounder due to the Sauce Gardner swap. As a result of the Quinnen Williams deal, one of the Jets' first-round picks remains in limbo. The Jets own the first-round pick of whoever finishes with a worse record, Green Bay or Dallas. The Cowboys will keep their own pick if they finish with a better record than the Packers.

Right now, none of the teams the Jets would like to lose games to are in top shape. The Cowboys essentially gave a win away with a horrible collapse against the Baltimore Ravens; Green Bay was a bad Jets fourth-quarter away from being 0-3; and the Colts started out 0-2 before an extremely narrow win against the Houston Texans.

Rather than getting a robust charge from the recently extended Baker Mayfield and a Buccaneers team that has been competitive in all of their losses, Green Bay and Dallas might feast against a player in Daniels who every team in the league passed over multiple times after regressing during his final season at Kansas.

Jalon Daniels struggling may cost the New York Jets some wins

Even though a Jets team that is still looking for its next franchise quarterback may be a bit underwhelmed by some disappointing showings from the upcoming class, this team is still positioned to use those picks to get much better immediately. They could possibly get David Bailey a long-term running mate, improve the cornerback room, or add another interior offensive lineman.

Jordan Love and Dak Prescott will be good enough to drag their team to wins, so the Bucs coming in one step shy of handing them some free wins by virtue of neglecting the backup quarterback spot may get under this fanbase's skin. Daniels may have impressed against the Jets in the preseason, but game speed in the regular season is different.

If you didn't like how the Jets handled the Cade Klubnik situation, Tampa Bay is sure to get you upset.

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