A lot of things went right for Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders last season as the franchise made it to the NFC Championship game in Year 1 with Dan Quinn.
But one thing that wasn't so good was the number of times Daniels got hit, with 47 sacks making him the sixth-most hit quarterback in football, and for a player of Jayden's slender build, that isn't ideal and is an injury waiting to happen.
This offseason, Daniels - who has played at 6-4 and about 2010 - has bulked up a bit, and as training camp began, he revealed why he took that approach.
"Obviously be able to take (and) soften the blow as much as possible," Daniels said. "That helps out because obviously those guys might get a good shot on you and they weigh a lot more than I do. So, just be able to try to build more muscle to absorb those hits."
In an ideal world, Daniels wouldn't take those hits to begin with, but the fact is, he will get hit, he will get bumped, and having an extra layer of armor will help protect him from injury.
Given his play style and the fact that Jayden likes to escape out of the pocket and get downfield, he has a big target on his back when he's a runner. So naturally, the bigger frame he now has will help him bounce off would-be tacklers and make it easier to absorb the punishment that will be coming his way.
Year 2 is shaping up as a big one for Daniels and the Commanders, with expectations at an all-time high, so being able to play a full season is crucial to any success the franchise hopes to have.
And with Jayden's bulkier frame, it might be a little easier to do that.
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