Commanders Jayden Daniels Trending Toward Breaking Robert Griffin III Record

Here we "whoa!" again, Washington Commanders fans. Jayden Daniels is Robert Griffin IV.

In 2012, the Commanders drafted a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback second overall in the NFL Draft. Same in 2024.

In 2012, that player led Washington to a surprising 10 wins, a playoff berth and along the way set a record for quarterback rushing yards and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Same - barring something unforeseen - in 2024.

In 2012 it was Griffin. In 2024 it's Daniels. The similarities are too delicious - and dangerous - to ignore.

 

Daniels is doing everything Griffin did a dozen years ago, only better. Griffin set the rookie record with 815 rushing yards. With two games remaining starting Sunday night at Northwest Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons, Daniels needs only 79 to break that mark.

"He is a superstar," Griffin said of Daniels recently. "He's been playing lights out, high completion percentage, playing winning football, efficient on third downs, protecting the football, running when he needs to. He can be Superman - we saw the Hail Mary -and he can put the cape on when he needs to. But that's not the only reason they're winning. That, to me, is a sign of a good team."

Griffin as a rookie: 120 carries, 6.9-yard average, seven touchdowns, 45 first downs; 20 passing touchdowns to only five interceptions.

Daniels as a rookie: 128 carries, 5.8-yard average, six touchdowns, 46 first downs; 22 passing touchdowns to only eight interceptions.

The similarities extend beyond the surreal stats.

Griffin was selected No. 2 behind supposed generational quarterback Andrew Luck; Daniels behind Caleb Williams. Both clearly outplayed the No. 1 picks.

With almost identical size and slender build - both weigh about 215 pounds with Daniels only two inches taller at 6-4 - they consistently avoided would-be tacklers with a gliding, almost-effortless stride. With his sleek read-option ball-handling, Griffin often made fools out of Hall-of-Fame defenders such as the Dallas Cowboys' DeMarcus Ware. In last Sunday's dramatic rally over the Philadelphia Eagles, Daniels ran just fast enough to step out of bounds before being hit several times, and converted a crucial 4th-and-11 with a 29-yard scramble in which he juked four defenders.

The end for Griffin, however, is the same concern for Daniels: Injury.Late in his rookie season on a scramble, Griffin took a direct hit from Baltimore Raven's mammoth defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and suffered a sprained knee ligament. He limped through the remainder of the game, but a month later in Washington's Wild Card loss to the Seattle Seahawks the injury worsened to a torn ACL.

Griffin was never the same. He never won a playoff game with Washington, and never again made a Pro Bowl. The following season in 2013 he rushed for only half as many yards as a rookie and during the remainder of his seven-year NFL career ran for only three more touchdowns.

Daniels was visibly compromised for a couple games after an early-season tackle at the end of a long run that resulted in bruised ribs, but he never missed a start.

Commanders fans are hoping the similarities between their rookie stars ends there. The organization can't afford another one-hit wonder.