Washington Commanders' quarterback Jayden Daniels had a phenomenal rookie season, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, and leading his team to a 12-5 record and an NFC Championship appearance.
That is quite a lofty bar to reach in Year 2, but such was how the Commanders overall played, along with the coaching staff led by Dan Quinn, went about their business; more is expected in 2025.
Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil were signed, and now the offense is loaded.
So there are big expectations on Washington in Daniels' second year, but in what Bleacher Report calls a nightmare season, Jayden pulls a C.J. Stroud from 2024.
"If Jayden Daniels pulls a C.J. Stroud from 2024," Bleacher Report writes.
Right, let's go through this.
Stroud, in his second season, won one more regular-season game, still made the playoffs as division winner, threw slightly fewer yards (4,108 to 3,727), had three fewer passing touchdowns (23 to 20), and seven more interceptions (five to 12). His passer rating dropped from 100.8 to 87.0, and QBR dropped from 57.5 to 49.8.
So yes, Stroud regressed a little, yet still won a playoff game and the division, but we know that success in the NFL isn't linear.
Now, looking at Jayden.
Last season, he threw for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions, had a passer rating of 100.1, and a QBB of 70.6. That will be hard to replicate.
The win total will likely decrease, but still winning 10 games is a commendable achievement. If his stats decline exactly like Stroud's, he will have 3,187 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions (which isn't ideal). He would have a passer rating of 86.3 and a QBR of 62.9.
Stroud had more rushing yards in his second season (167 to 233) while Daniels, who posted 891 yards and six touchdowns, might see that come down a touch.
If Daniels does regress slightly as Stroud did, we aren't sure it would be the "nightmare" scenario some think it might be.
After all, Jayden has set the bar so high that it will be tough to reach those heights consistently, and if he doesn't, we aren't sure if it is the end of the world.
