Washington Commanders starting quarterback Jayden Daniels is viewed as the franchise savior and future of the brand by outsiders. On the inside, however, he's not being asked to be anything but himself according to head coach Dan Quinn.
"He doesn't have to be the leader of the team," the Commanders coach said about his young quarterback. "He has to play his position well and be a great teammate. And I told the group earlier, my favorite part of this team, and the best part of our team, is the team."
Instead of asking Daniels to lead the charge Washington plans on leaning on veterans like receiver Terry McLaurin who has said this preseason he's taking a more vocal role within the locker room and the huddle. Tight end Zach Ertz and linebacker Bobby Wagner represent some newly added leaders who will also ensure Daniels can just focus on being a teammate and a quarterback. something Quinn says the rookie has been nailing so far.
“It means a lot," Daniels said when asked how important it is for him to be recognized as a good teammate. "I mean, I want to be remembered for the person I am, not just what I did on the football field. So [to] be able to be good and kind to my teammates, show them that I care for them and I'm always here for them. It means a lot.”
Being kind and good to his teammates goes beyond one-on-one interactions. When the ball is in your hands on every play being that positive member of the team also means taking care of the football, and setting teammates up for success.
"What Jayden's got across is, I put the work in, and people trust me, because they do," said Quinn. "They've seen how hard he worked, they've seen him go deliver on that hard work at practice and through the preseason game. As a young player, you're really trying to earn respect and to show that I'll do things that you can count on. And that to me is what he's demonstrated to his teammates over and over again is, ‘Man, you can count on me. I'll make the right call, put us in the right play, make the right decisions.’"
That maturity and professionalism is a common theme in the Commanders' latest draft class. Not only has the quarterback impressed early on with his skills and work ethic, so too have other first-year players like cornerback Mike Sainristil and receiver Luke McCaffrey, among others.
“We want to come in here, we just want to put our head down and go to work," Daniels said of his rookie class. "We gotta earn our role. We gotta earn everything that comes. Nothing's gonna be given to us just because we got drafted. ...Our whole class, man, we just going out there, we're going to work. We don't really have too much to say and we're just gonna show up on the field.”
Daniels and the group have done a good job of just that - doing their jobs. It's earned several of them starting roles on the team, three so far (Daniels, Sainristil, and offensive tackle Brandon Coleman), and there are high expectations for others like tight end Ben Sinnott and defensive tackle Johnny Newton.
McCaffrey himself is doing everything he can to continue learning the receiver position - something he's relatively new to - while finding ways to contribute in special teams as well. Lesser-known rookie linebacker Jordan Magee was a fast riser in training camp before suffering a meniscus injury, and 7th-Round pick defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste just got his first sack as a pro in the last preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.
Even undrafted free agent safety Tyler Owens is making a lot of noise and thought by many to be right in the thick of it when it comes to landing a spot on the active roster.
It's clear this rookie class has been impactful already. With the mentoring they've received and will continue to get from the veteran leaders on this team, this group could very well be the one that leads Washington into its next great era of football.
Just not yet. For now, they'll leave the leading to those who have done it for a while, and focus on being the best rookie class in the NFL - something that is no small task by itself.
