The Washington Commanders were one of the great stories of the 2024 NFL season. The Commanders finished in last place in the NFC East in 2023 with a 4-13 record and they gained the No. 2 pick in last spring’s NFL Draft as a result. They used that pick to select LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, a brilliant athlete with a strong arm who figured to ascend to the QB1 position at some point during the season.
Head coach Dan Quinn did not waste any time making Daniels the team’s starting quarterback. It paid off in a huge way as Daniels had a brilliant rookie season from both a statistical and leadership point of view. His teammates also responded to him in a huge way, as the Commanders went 12-5 and earned a spot in the NFL playoffs.
Once the Commanders got to the postseason, Daniels continued to impress his fans. He led the Commanders to a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then a shocking upset of the Detroit Lions, the team that had the No. 1 seed in the NFL as a result of their 15-2 record.
Daniels is on track to become one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, but he still has much to prove as he enters his second season. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid explained that a number of rookie quarterbacks have had excellent opening seasons, but proving it again in the second year is often the key to long-term success.
“The second year is a big challenge,” Reid said, per John Keim of ESPN.com. “If you can get through your second year, you got a pretty good thing going.”
Daniels answered every challenge in 2024
The Washington quarterback started his season in ordinary fashion, completing 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards in a 37-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However he led the Commanders to victories in his next four starts, as Washington defeated the New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns.
Daniels completed 331 of 480 passes for 3,568 yards with 25 TD passes and 9 interceptions during the regular season. He also ran for 891 yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per attempt.
He was brilliant in the playoff upset of the Lions, completing 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards with 2 TDs and no interceptions.
Reid has been considered one of the great quarterback mentors in the history of the NFL. While his prized pupil is Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, he also had great success with Donovan McNabb during his run as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
His assessment of Daniels has the ring of truth, verified by his long years of experience.
