'He is going to give us a chance': Why Commanders named rookie Jayden Daniels QB1
ASHBURN, Va. — One day before the Washington Commanders opened training camp, coach Dan Quinn explained why Jayden Daniels wasn’t yet named the starter.
“When he’s ready, we will know,” Quinn said.
He’s ready. They know.
That’s why Quinn officially named him the starter Monday in a competition that was more between Daniels and himself than it was with veteran Marcus Mariota. Washington plays at Tampa Bay in the season opener on Sept. 8. Daniels’ first home game will be a week later against the New York Giants.
Daniels started the first two preseason games. Mariota did not play in Saturday’s game against the Dolphins because of a hamstring issue but would not have started. Daniels had been working with the starters for nearly three weeks after alternating with Mariota early in training camp.
Daniels now enters the season as the organization’s latest quarterback hope — he’ll be the 11th different starter since the start of 2019. No quarterback has opened consecutive years as the starter since Kirk Cousins left after the 2017 season.
Daniels is the sixth first-round pick since 1994 who will start for the franchise — joining Heath Shuler, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell, Robert Griffin III and Dwayne Haskins. Shuler (1994) and Griffin (2012) also were top-five selections. That group has one Pro Bowl season — by Griffin as a rookie.
“It’s a journey and a process,” Quinn said before camp opened.
After Monday’s announcement, the next phase of that journey is set to begin.
Why name Daniels the starter now?
With one preseason game remaining, there’s no reason to wait any longer. Teams typically sit their starters for this game so it’s not as if this game would alter the decision. Also, there hasn’t been any sort of confusion over who it eventually would be, based on how Daniels had performed this summer.
Washington has taken a deliberate approach to decision-making all offseason, wanting to finish the process of interviews before naming a head coach — even as candidates were signed by other teams. The Commanders took the same approach before the draft, falling in love with Daniels early but wanting to finish the process just in case something changed their minds.
That’s why they held off until they finished joint practice sessions with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, in addition to the preseason games vs. those teams, before announcing a decision.
“You don’t want to fast-track it. You don’t want to slow it down,” general manager Adam Peters said in July. “You just want to let it happen naturally.”
Quinn has also emphasized competition since he was named Washington’s coach this offseason and wanted to make sure that applied to Daniels as well.
What traits have stood out so far?
In the spring, numerous people in the organization — from executives to coaches to players — all pointed to Daniels’ work ethic. He would arrive at the facility around 5:45 a.m. to get in extra film work then go over plays on the field with a fellow rookie, receiver Luke McCaffrey.
“He must study it like crazy at night because every morning when we get here and he walks through with us, he nails it,” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said earlier this month.
Multiple members of the organization have pointed to his leadership skills, citing his relationships not only with offensive players but defenders as well.
On the field, the three aspects most mentioned: ball placement, accuracy and decision-making. In a red zone drill Thursday at Miami, Daniels threw five touchdown passes — one observer said each ball was placed where only the receiver had a chance.
Against the Jets, Daniels checked to a go-ball and dropped in a perfect throw to receiver Dyami Brown for a 42-yard gain. Brown wasn’t wide open, but Daniels threw anyway. Receivers appreciate that he has faith in them.
“For a lot of quarterbacks sometimes they come off you and don’t give you a chance to make a play,” receiver Jahan Dotson said. “He is going to give us a chance.”
Against Miami, he completed multiple throws against tight coverage by placing the ball away from the defender.
“He has a natural feel of where to throw the football. His anticipation is great,” receiver Terry McLaurin said.
And, yes, his legs. Though Daniels rarely runs after dropping back in practice, he has flashed on occasion. He scored on a 3-yard zone read run vs. the Jets and gained 13 more on one vs. the Dolphins.
How can the Commanders help him?
Washington signed veterans such as tight end Zach Ertz and running back Austin Ekeler to serve as quality options and checkdowns. Daniels has developed a connection with Ertz in particular during practice. The same is true with McLaurin.
Washington also wants to run the ball to reduce the pressure on Daniels to be an offensive savior. Daniels can help open running lanes for Brian Robinson Jr. with the threat of keeping the ball, but the third-year running back will receive plenty of action.
Also, in the two preseason games, the Commanders have helped Daniels with a lot of quick throws. His average time before passing in the two games has been 2.10 seconds, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. The league average last season was 2.80 seconds.
“That’s a big part of the way that we try to set this up,” quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard said. “He was decisive.”
He was not sacked in two games, despite facing multiple blitzes and having linemen lose their battles on occasion.
Kingsbury also can help with the play-action game, making the action of the play mirror a potential run. That happened Saturday when Washington pulled its guards multiple times in the run — and did the same on a play-action pass that gained 16 yards and fooled a linebacker.
What are areas of concern?
Experience is one. Daniels is 24 and played 55 games in five college seasons but has yet to face an opposing defense with all its starters playing. Teams will now game-plan to confuse him.
So far, Daniels has handled what he has seen without looking confused in the pocket. But teams will throw different looks at him pre- and post-snap. He faced that at LSU vs. numerous SEC opponents, but NFL coaches will surely test him.
It helps that Daniels is so inquisitive, picking the brains of numerous teammates.
“A lot of times young guys are afraid to come up and ask questions,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “Anytime you have somebody that’s just getting to the league that’s eager for knowledge, eager for understanding, want to learn, that’s always a sign of the guy’s going to be around for a long time.”
Another concern involves durability. In college, Daniels had a penchant for running but not avoiding hits. After one run Saturday, Quinn chided him for not sliding before contact — on an earlier zone-read run, he did exactly that.
If, for some reason, Daniels struggles, Washington can always turn to Mariota, who has started 74 career games and owns a career quarterback rating of 55.6. But Daniels would have to look overwhelmed, something he has not displayed in practice or games.
“I just told him like, ‘Man, you’re going to be real good,'” New York corner Sauce Gardner said after a joint practice with the Commanders. “As a corner, you want to go against a rookie quarterback, but he’s one of those guys [who plays] like he’s developed.”
