Quarterback Jayden Daniels's dual-threat ability made him an intriguing prospect in the NFL. That ability led the Washington Commanders to take Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. In his NFL debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Daniels immediately showcased that ability. Daniels ran 16 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers, but some big hits mitigated the positives. Daniels, who was also sacked twice and had a third one wiped out by a Buccaneers penalty, lost his helmet on a couple of those shots, and Commanders head coach Dan Quinn would like to see him exposed to fewer of them in the future.
“We’d love to see him remain a passer first,” Quinn said. “I think it’s going to come with more experience, honestly. When I can go extend it to throw it, when, ‘Hey, this plays over, I’ll get rid of it and move on to the next play.’ So, I think you’ll see that trajectory continue as we go. Certainly, [16] carries is not the model that we’re looking for, certainly with Brian [Robinson] and Austin [Ekeler] and others here. But at the end of it, I do think we’ll continue to grow in that spot. But certainly not by design to have that many.”
Should Commanders fans be concerned about Jayden Daniels?
It's natural for a rookie quarterback to be sped up in his first NFL action, particularly when facing a Todd Bowles defense on the road. Daniels' legs helped keep drives alive, but it can't be the only productive part of Kliff Kingsbury's offense moving forward.
The Commanders' leading receivers were running backs Austin Ekeler (four catches, 52 yards) and Brian Robinson (3/49). Wideouts combined for 55 yards, with No. 1 Terry McLaurin generating two catches for 17 yards.
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“I think if you'd asked him, there'll probably be a few throws that he would either like to rip or where the progression may have taken him,” Quinn said. “But by and large, I felt from the competitor side, that was it. Those were some things I saw even on some of the runs. We didn't have a lot of design quarterback runs, but some of the ones that he did, I think if he'd asked him again, he'd probably want to let it rip to one of the guys on some missed opportunities. Those are the hard ones.”
Daniels' ability to get through a progression and give routes more of a chance will be part of his development. It will come with reps. In the meantime, the Heisman Trophy winner will continue to use his legs as an advantage against the pass rush. But if he keeps himself safe on those runs, his NFL growth should be fine.
