Nobody expected the Washington Commanders to be playing elite football right out of the gate in 2024. There were too many changes across the board throughout the offseason for that. This is all about gradual progression and being fundamentally sound. Anything after that is a bonus in Year 1 of a substantial rebuild.
There were signs of growth in Week 2 against the New York Giants. It wasn't perfect, but the Commanders found a way to come through in the clutch and end their nine-game skid dating back to last season under Ron Rivera. This builds confidence, but the hard work is just getting started.
Dan Quinn is confident Jayden Daniels and the Commanders can grow together
Dan Quinn is fully aware of this. He knows this is just the beginning of a rollercoaster journey. The head coach is also confident his team can grow alongside Jayden Daniels, who looks like the most accomplished rookie quarterback by a considerable margin over the first two weeks of the campaign.
"Jayden's just going into his third game. We had some ones down the field that we would've liked to have seen him take. Some of the ones even on the scrambles to remain a passer as you're coming closer towards the line of scrimmage to throw it down the field. We are still a new team together. The more reps, the more game experience that we get, these are really valuable times for us. And so the games are so important, not just because of the win-loss, but how we wanna play. I just kind of anticipated us continuing this trajectory upwards."
- Dan Quinn via Commanders.com
Daniels showed promise in his regular-season home debut. He moved the football well downfield almost at will. Had the Commanders shown a bit more conviction in the red zone and not conceded so many unnecessary penalties, this contest would have been over long before new kicker Austin Seibert hit a walk-off field goal.
There was also a lot to like about Daniels' poise in the passing game. His rushing threat remained, but there was a concerted effort to become more of a pocket passer as well - especially after getting the wind knocked out of him that forced the Heisman Trophy winner off the field briefly.
This is all part of Daniels' learning experience as a rookie. However, he's the least of Washington's concerns right now. There's far more concern about the secondary's capabilities in coverage and the defensive line's inability to generate pressure in obvious pass-rushing situations. Under the watchful eye of Quinn and his staff. things should develop as the season goes on.
Washington is about to go through a testing series of encounters before coming up against the lowly Carolina Panthers in Week 7. The Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens will provide Quinn with a much better indicator of where his squad is currently. If the Commanders can be competitive against four teams who could harbor postseason ambitions at season's end, that's a strong sign things are trending in the right direction.
The Commanders will only go as far as Daniels takes them long-term. One only has to look at Bryce Young's situation in Carolina to see what happens when a fledgling presence under center loses confidence or isn't supported correctly. It's a mistake Quinn and his accomplished coaches cannot make.
There's a long way to go. But it's so far, so good.
