Did Washington Finally Find “Their Guy” in Jayden Daniels?
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1992 was the last time that Washington won the Super Bowl. Since then, they have reached the playoffs only seven times, and have never been back to a championship game. Their biggest problem during that stretch? The quarterback position.
Washington has been looking for a franchise quarterback for what seems like the last 30 years, and certainly not due to a lack of trying. The team has used five different first round picks on quarterbacks since they last won a championship, and none of them have been the “game changer” that they were envisioned to be. The name’s Heath Shuler, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell, Robert Griffin III, and Dwayne Haskins have all had a long line of injuries or inconsistent play in Washington’s offense. Many can blame that on poor coaching or a weak team around each of these guys, but each pick’s tenure did not last long in what feels like a quarterback’s bad dream in Washington.
The team thought that they had “their guy” back in 2012, when Griffin III won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, and was only the seventh rookie quarterback in NFL history to be selected to the Pro Bowl. However, his time on the team was short-lived as a string of serious knee injuries ended his career prematurely. While his injuries were considered to be a “freak accident”, Griffin III at least proved that a quarterback can have success in Washington; especially a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, such as himself.
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Flash forward to 2024, and the Washington Commanders’ have decided to use another first round pick on a quarterback. With the second overall pick in the draft, they selected Jayden Daniels out of Louisiana State, who put up elite numbers during his final year at the school. His 4,946 total yards, 50 touchdowns, and only five turnovers were more than enough for Daniels to win the Heisman; a very similar fate to that of Griffin III before he got drafted to the same team.
While a lot of critics will say that Daniels only performed well from playing an elite offense that consisted of Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., nobody just gets those numbers by accident. Some would also say that Daniels’ had one of the best college football seasons by a quarterback that anyone has ever seen. Regardless of what people think about him, he was drafted high by the Commanders in the hope that he would bring their team back to a championship; and it is by no means ridiculous to think that he might do it.
Daniels isn’t coming into a terrible offense, like many rookie quarterbacks usually do. With a wide receiver number one in Terry McLaurin, who consistently puts up 1,000 yard seasons with below average quarterback play, he has a “go to guy” right off the bat. Pair that with a great second option in receiver Jahan Dotson and a veteran tight end in Zach Ertz, and Daniels has a lot of freedom in this offense. Not to mention that Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr., quietly make up one of the better running back rooms in the NFL; something for Daniels to fall back on in his rookie year.
The weak spot in Washington’s offense is their offensive line, which was, statistically speaking, one of the worst units in football last season. With people speculating about how Daniels might perform behind this line, there is some good news; Daniels can use his legs. With over 1,000 rushing yards during his Heisman season at Louisiana State, Daniels can attack any defense on the ground. This line might because from some concern, but with an offense led by Kliff Kingsbury, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Kingsbury has experience coaching some of the best improvisers in football such as Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, and Caleb Williams. Now hired as the offensive coordinator of the Commanders, he should be able to work the same magic on Daniels. He schemes up a lot of run-pass options and “quarterback friendly plays”, which could be the turning point in developing Daniels into a franchise quarterback.
It’s still too early to tell if Daniels is “the guy” in Washington, but he has all tools at his disposal. The team hasn’t had a great history of drafting quarterbacks, but that could change this season. Last year, C.J. Stroud was brought to the Houston Texans with the No. 2 overall pick, and he was able to perform on a what was said to be a below average team. Now a year later and Houston is considered to be a Super Bowl contender, with Stroud at the reins. Could Daniels do the same thing with the Commanders?
The facts say he might be able to…