Jayden Daniels' breakout season with Commanders is no surprise

ASHBURN, Virginia — Jayden Daniels has not given much thought to how he has handled half a season playing quarterback in the NFL.

"I still have some ways to go,'' he said. "I'll sit back and reflect after my rookie year is done.''

That's OK. The rest of the sport has plenty to say about Daniels taking the league by storm, leading the Washington Commanders to their first 7-2 start since 1996 and becoming not only the favorite to be the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year but putting himself firmly in the MVP conversation.

"You guys got to stop calling him a rookie quarterback,'' veteran tight end Zach Ertz said. "He may be a rookie quarterback in terms of years in this league. But his maturity, his poise is that of a 10-year vet.''

Daniels' breakout season has come as no surprise to those who knew the San Bernadino, California, native during stints at Arizona State and then LSU, where he blossomed into the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and the second pick in the 2024 draft.

Teammates turned friends and coaches over the years have seen a player determined to be the best and a person humble enough to make these past nine weeks look like just the start of a lengthy career with no limit on what Daniels could accomplish.

The start

Inheriting the pressure of being Washington's face of the franchise for an organization decades removed from its glory days did not seem to get to Daniels, who teammates have said has had the same approach since the first day of offseason workouts through throwing a Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown in Week 8 to beat Chicago.

That is one of his first 163 completions on 228 attempts — a success rate of 71.5 per cent that ranks among the best QBs in the NFL of any experience level. He has thrown for nine touchdowns, run for four more and has just two interceptions.

"He doesn't turn the ball over a lot,'' said Herm Edwards, Daniels' coach for three seasons at Arizona State. "That isn't part of his DNA. That's not what happens. You never worry about that as far as him with the football in his hand, whether he's throwing it or running. He's become a smarter runner, obviously, and that's needed in this league.''

The biggest blip for Daniels came when he injured his ribs getting tackled and landing awkwardly at the end of a long run. He left that game — a 40-7 rout of Carolina — and might have played if the stakes were higher, then he was right back on the field a week later.

Daniels, even with sore ribs, has thrown for 535 yards and three TDs and ran 16 times for 87 yards.

"It's not a surprise to me,'' said San Francisco receiver Brandon Aiyuk, a teammate of Daniels' at Arizona State. "He's just nice. He's real good. He's just always been that good.''

The competitor

Malik Nabers heard the chatter about Daniels when he was transferring to LSU in 2022, and that first season finished with some great numbers: 17 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 10-4 record. Then, after training with C.J. Stroud and others in California, Nabers noticed a shift in Daniels' mindset and demeanour.

"He was just like picking defences apart,'' said Nabers, the sixth pick in the 2024 draft and now the No. 1 receiver for the NFC East-rival New York Giants. "He was working extra, staying extra long, making sure we got the plays after practice. He was the ultimate leader. I think that's what he changed: He became like the ultimate leader and started leading by example, leading by vocalness and just taking the offence over.''

Daniels led the country with 40 TD passes in 2023, ran for 10 more and won the Heisman as the final accomplishment of his college career. But the arriving early and staying late did not stop, from walkthroughs in the team's practice bubble before spring workouts with rookie receiver Luke McCaffrey to nights coach Dan Quinn observed Daniels studying film well after dark during the Commanders' week in Arizona between games.

"It's not any magic that's going into this. ... He really puts in the work,'' Quinn said. "There's no magic pixie dust that we're throwing into him. It is absolutely grinding, working, and a lot of confidence comes from that.''

The innovator

It's not just sweat equity. At LSU, Daniels underwent cognitive processing tests on a computer, and with the school's director of performance innovation, Jack Marucci, developed a program with a virtual reality headset to work on his anticipation.

"You could see his efficiency and speed improving and how he was scanning,'' Marucci said, pointing out it was like Daniels got another 250 snaps a week and 2,600 over the course of a season. "It's knowing and anticipating where he's going to end up and now you have to hit a spot on the field.''

Daniels still uses the VR device, which offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is "all-in on.''

"It's been a great tool, not just for me, but the other quarterbacks — the guys that want to use it to get an edge and get the reps without having to go out there and physically do stuff,'' Daniels said.

The connection

Kingsbury interviewed for multiple jobs around the NFL. After coaching Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals and then (as an adviser) with Caleb Williams at USC, the chance to work with Daniels — who was drafted a few months after he was hired in Washington — and the Commanders made too much sense.

"Kliff Kingsbury is an outstanding fit for him,'' LSU coach Brian Kelly said. "And the kind of offence that they run, it's something that I think is seamless for him.''

Cam Taylor-Britt derided it as "simple'' and a "nice college offence.'' Daniels burned the Cincinnati Bengals cornerback and his teammates on 21 of 23 passing for 254 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-33 victory in prime time on "Monday Night Football.''

When the Bears-Commanders game was flexed to national TV, it provided Daniels' signature moment so far when he scrambled for nearly 13 seconds and lofted up a pass that sailed 65 yards in the air before tipping up and into Brown's hands in the end zone.

Edwards, who still texts Daniels on a regular basis, almost foreshadowed it talking about the 23-year-old two weeks before the Chicago game.

"He has the ability to extend plays, and what he does — and people can already see it and it's not luck — he can throw the deep ball,'' said Edwards, who's now an ESPN analyst. "He can throw it with accuracy on the run or from the pocket. He has a feel for throwing the ball down the field.''

The composure

The Hail Mary exemplified what everyone around Daniels raves about: his poise under pressure. Edwards calls it Daniels' "ability to keep his composure when the lights got the brightest.''

Terry McLaurin, who has been Washington's top receiver since being drafted in 2019, said Daniels came into the league more ready than most rookies at the most important position in sports.

That has been obvious even to opponents. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson after outdueling Daniels said his counterpart has been proving himself and playing amazing.

"Washington is in good hands with him,'' Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith said "He's the truth.''

Only Jackson, Buffalo's Josh Allen, Mahomes and Detroit's Jared Goff have shorter MVP odds on BetMGM Sportsbook, which now has Daniels at 10-1. Nabers, who initially made a friendly $10,000 bet with Daniels about which one would be AP Offensive Rookie of the Year before cancelling it, said his friend's success stems from a desire to win that he doesn't see in many others.

"I know when he is in that moment, he's not scared of it,'' Nabers said. "He's not scared of the hype, the big plays to be made. If it is crunch time, he wants to ball.''