ASHBURN, Va. – Everybody makes mistakes. Even rookie quarterbacks set to make their regular-season debut Week 1. But Jeff Driskel hasn’t seen Jayden Daniels make the same one twice through a month of Washington Commanders training camp.
“That’s what you want to see,” Driskel said, “especially somebody who has a lot on his plate, this early, it’s really impressive.”
As for any advice he may pass along, Driskel said he doesn’t.
“He doesn’t need the advice,” said Driskel, who has started 12 games for five teams over six years in the NFL.
Daniels has played in big games before – and played a lot of football, too; the former Arizona State and Louisiana State quarterback had 55 career starts in college over five seasons, the final of which ended with him lifting the Heisman Trophy.
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“He’s proven that he can do it at a high level,” Driskel said. “I’m just excited to go out there and the world to see what we’ve been seeing since he’s been picked here.
“He’s a very smart player, a very instinctual player, and it shows up on game day.”
But Daniels had to win the starting job after the Commanders drafted him No. 2 overall. Head coach Dan Quinn’s entire operation in Year 1 of his tenure – and a characteristic that will extend beyond the 2024 season – is based on competition.
Quinn informed Daniels of his decision in the quarterback room earlier this week. His message to the 23-year-old was “you’ve absolutely crushed it” and the time had come for the announcement.
“It was a cool moment, but one that he had absolutely earned,” Quinn said.
It was apparent enough that Quinn told the media before he informed the rest of the team.
“I would think they would have probably figured it out before you guys did,” he said.
Center Tyler Biadasz, who followed Quinn from the Dallas Cowboys to the Commanders this offseason, said Daniels’ maturity level and emotional consistency has impressed the locker room the most.
“You’d never know the difference between any other moment, right? Because he’s always in it,” Biadasz told USA TODAY Sports. “And he’s in the now, which is awesome.”
Quinn likes to say Daniels plays with “swagger.” The confidence he shows has rubbed off on his teammates and, in turn, developed their collective confidence in him. Daniels has demonstrated to his teammates and coaches since his arrival that he can be counted on – to make the right call, put the offense in the proper play and make the right decisions.
After practice reps, Biadasz said, Daniels often communicates what he saw, either to the receivers or the line. There is an “onto the next play” mentality. His command of the huddle is noticeable. At the line of scrimmage, he makes protection switches and other calls, Biadasz said.
“He’s on. He’s dialed in,” Biadasz said. “But his biggest thing is how he grows day in and day out.”
How Commanders are making Jayden Daniels’ life easier
No team entered the offseason with more cap space, $96 million in financial freedom, than the Commanders. The roster had holes everywhere, but Adam Peters signed a slew of veterans on both sides of the ball to serve as north stars for the younger players the front office hopes can form a contending core down the line.
On offense, that included running back Austin Ekeler, tight end Zach Ertz, backup quarterback Marcus Mariota and Biadasz. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. and Ekeler are expected to shoulder a significant load running the ball.
“All of those things were part of the design prior to even Jayden being here,” Quinn said.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has brought in his scheme, with wrinkles, from the four seasons he spent as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals (2019-22).
Kingsbury’s first ground-floor installation of his offense at the NFL came when he was a rookie head coach with a rookie quarterback in Kyler Murray, another mobile signal-caller. That experience helped him bring Daniels up to speed, and Daniels has allowed the offensive coordinator to push the limit of what the coaches can install.
“And it’s not like it’s a ton of repeat,” Kingsbury said. “I mean, you’ll dress things up and have the same concept but run it a different way, different personnel group, and he handles it really well.
“So far he’s handled everything with flying colors.”
The coaches are still cautious not to overload Daniels mentally. They also know that success as a rookie will come if they let him use his natural gifts – playing fast and attacking defenses, Kingsbury said.
“Not to make it easy or simple … but at the same time, there’s a lot of intent put into ‘How are these guys are going to learn it?’” quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard said. “So hats off to Kliff, too, on designing a system and going about it in a way for not just Jayden to learn it well enough, but (everyone).”
Daniels offered a preview of how that might look in real time through his limited preseason action – Daniels played in the first two contests but will sit Sunday against the New England Patriots.
“We want to get the ball in our playmakers’ hands as fast as possible, take the shots when it’s there, and be very good in the run game,” Daniels said.
In a limited sample size, the emphasis going with one of his first reads was clear. Daniels went 12-for-15 – including a 42-yard deep shot against the New York Jets to Dyami Brown, who has emerged as a favored downfield target of Daniels – during the preseason. He also had a rushing touchdown against the Jets.
Last season, rookie quarterbacks Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, with the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans, respectively, displayed the wide spectrum of how a passer’s debut season can go. The safe assumption is that Daniels’ first year will reside somewhere in the middle.
Quinn has referred to himself as an “impatient” man. He shudders at the term “rebuild.” One area he is willing to give himself and the team added grace, however, is the development of the franchise’s quarterback of the future.
“So you may hear me use the term ‘expect the expected,’” Quinn said. “There’s gonna be bumps, there’s gonna be missed turns that you need and, quite honestly, you don’t want them to. But you know that it’s an important part of the process.”
Daniels’ capacity to rectify any issues immediately – and not repeat them – has led to an inspiring start.
“That’s who he is,” Biadasz said. “He’s a winner. He wants to win … he wants to make the next play great.”