Can Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels improve on his historic rookie season? One analyst doesn't think so.
Fox Sports "First Things First" personality Nick Wright was asked by his co-host if Daniels can improve his play to reach an MVP level. Wright believes Daniels will regress in his second NFL season.
"More likely it's a bit of a sophomore slump. More likely is... similar to what C.J [Stroud] went through last year where you have this unbelievable rookie year and some people were like, 'you were going to win MVP.' And instead, you kinda taper and you slightly regress, but people still feel great about you — that's more likely," Wright said.
Daniels had arguably the greatest rookie season for a quarterback in NFL history. Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while completing 69% of his passes. Furthermore, Daniels led the Commanders to their first NFC Championship Game appearance in 33 years after beating the NFC South-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions on the road.
The 2023 Heisman winner gets credit for his relaxed but poised demeanor when under pressure. However, Wright thinks the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year will experience what Houston Texans quarterback C.J Stroud did in 2024.
Stroud also had an impressive rookie campaign in 2023. The former Ohio State standout led the Texans to an AFC South title along with a playoff victory. Stroud won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and had 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The Texans quarterback also earned the third-highest passer rating by a rookie in NFL history (100.8). However, Stroud's statistics took a dip the following season, as he had more interceptions (12) and had a lower passer rating (87).
Wright went on to name instances when other quarterbacks managed to find success in their sophomore seasons such as Patrick Mahomes (MVP win), Lamar Jackson (MVP win), Russell Wilson (Super Bowl XLVIII win) and Joe Burrow (Super Bowl LVI berth).
"I think Washington had too many unbelievable wins last year for me to think they are going to be quite as good this year. Part of what made Jayden great was how amazing he was in the clutch and how great they were in the close games," Wright said.
The Commanders had multiple last-second wins throughout the 2024 season that had left the NFL world mind-boggled. Washington defeated the Chicago Bears with a Hail Mary on the final play of the game in Week 8. They also took down the favorited Buccaneers in the postseason with a last-second field goal by kicker Zane Gonzalez. In 2024, the Commanders won six games within the final moments.
Wright is also concerned for the Commanders defense and the contract holdout of star wideout Terry McLaurin.
It remains to be seen if Daniels can build off his all-time rookie season.
