Through four games, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is on track to have an exceptional rookie season.
"Let's start by considering his brief pro career in totality," ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote in his Monday column. "Over his first four games in the NFL, Daniels has amassed a 73.5 QBR. With QBR data going back through the 2007 season, the only passers to top that across their first four starts are Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy."
In some ways, Daniels' start is more impressive. Unlike Purdy, Prescott or Watson, he doesn't have an elite supporting cast. Before the season, Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman and Jim Wyman rated Washington's roster as No. 27 in the NFL.
"Watson had a 25-year-old DeAndre Hopkins, who managed to approach 1,400 yards that season with Tom Savage and T.J. Yates starting 10 games," wrote Barnwell. "Prescott had a top-five offensive line, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, and arguably the best back in the league, Ezekiel Elliott. Purdy had (and has) a Hall of Fame left tackle in Trent Williams and the best group of playmakers in football."
Although he didn't enter an ideal situation, that hasn't stopped Daniels from transforming Washington's offense. On Monday, The Athletic's Mike Sando reported the Commanders have recorded at least an eight EPA (expected points added) in each game this season. In 387 regular-season games from 2000-23, they failed to hit that mark in more than two consecutive games within a season.
Sando added that QB Russell Wilson's 2012 Seattle Seahawks logged five straight games with an eight-plus EPA, the longest streak for a team with a starting rookie QB since 2000. Daniels and Co. could tie that record in Washington's home game against the Cleveland Browns (1-3) on Sunday.
If Daniels keeps producing ridiculous numbers and leads the Commanders (3-1) to the playoffs, his rookie season could go down as the best in recent memory. As of Monday, FanDuel Sportsbook gives the No. 2 overall pick the best Offensive Rookie of the Year odds (-150).
