To the surprise of no one around NFL circles, the worst kept secret is finally out of the bag. No. 2 overall pick out of LSU and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels will be the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback for the 2024 season, first-year coach Dan Quinn announced Monday afternoon.
Daniels, who was in a groove, completed 10-of-12 passes for 78 yards during the Commanders’ preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, has earned the opportunity to lead Washington’s offense after weeks of going out on the practice field and backing up what the staff already believed about his dynamic skill set. His first game will not be a cake walk. He is scheduled to make his regular-season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who brought back most of their defensive unit and team as a whole, on Sunday, September 8.
“I thought he had another really good outing,” coach Quinn said after the Commanders’ preseason game against the Dolphins. “The accuracy, the decision-making of where to go. He really is a unique competitor.”
Quinn said at the outset of training camp that the decisions made about Daniels’ playing time were not a secret but a journey. The team has been deliberate and somewhat cautious with his workload and snap count, starting with the move to have him behind nine-year veteran Marcus Mariota until he was 100% ready for the next steps in his progression.
As Daniels went through the rigors of camp, it became evident that him being named the starter was more a given than a possible outcome. Through the initial three weeks of camp, Daniels displayed several of the gifts that convinced Washington to select him in the first round, from his on-point ball placement and accuracy to his supreme work ethic that drives him to be the first player at the facility and the last one to leave.
“He naturally has a good feel of where to position the ball, whether it’s an in-breaking route, out-breaking route, a ball down the field,” said wide receiver Terry McLaurin. “A lot of the things, he just naturally has the ability to have a feel for the game, which is very unique for any quarterback, but let alone a rookie.”
Embed from Getty ImagesDaniels’ coaches have applauded his uncanny ability to not only retain information but implement it and improve each day. As his comfort level in Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive scheme grew by leaps and bounds, his snap counts did as well. He went from getting reps with the starters in certain situations to leading whole segments with the first unit. Over the past two weeks, Daniels has exclusively worked with the starting offense.
Throughout the process, Daniels opted to exercise patience and focus on overcoming the road blocks that were placed in front of him.
“I like competing; I’m a competitor,” Daniels said. “Regardless of if I was announced the starter or not, you still gotta compete. You still can’t be content [with] your job, [be] comfortable and think it’s just your job and seal the deal. You gotta compete.”
Daniels’ biggest assignments came during the Commanders’ joint practices and preseason games with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, both of whom had top 10 defenses last season and dominated at getting home to the quarterback. While the inclement weather and lack of protection on the offensive line did prevent him from making an abundance of explosive plays against the Jets, Daniels did show off his accuracy with passes to Dyami Brown in one-on-one drills and tight end Zach Ertz, who has become one of his most reliable targets, in team drills. It was enough for his opponents to see that Daniels has special and unique traits that will help him succeed long-term at the professional level.
“I just told him like, ‘Man, you’re gonna be real good,'” said Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. “It was great to just be able to line up against him. As a corner, you wanna go against a rookie quarterback, but he’s one of those guys like he’s developed obviously…but he had some great throws out there.”
