It didn't take long for Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, to cement himself as one of the brightest up-and-coming stars in the league.
Leading the Commanders to an improbable 12-win season in just his first year as a pro, Daniels' blend of athleticism, arm talent, and poise broke from the norm of what teams with rookie quarterbacks tend to expect.
The question now is whether or not he'll take a step back in his second season. ESPN analyst Andrew Hawkins not only believes Daniels will not regress, but he also believes the Washington quarterback is the best in the entire conference.
"We all know the NFL is about trajectory, and I don't think anyone has a higher trajectory than Jayden Daniels coming into this season," Hawkins said after confirming he believes Daniels is indeed the best quarterback in the NFC. "The fear with rookie success is that it was a product of the element of surprise. But when you watch Jayden Daniels, his poise in big moments made him an anomaly. His ability to get through his progression and get to read three and four routinely made him an anomaly and his ability to lift everyone on the team, every position, even the coaches coming into last season, we weren't raving about the weapons or the coaching, but he flipped that franchise and turned them into immediate contenders. I don't think any NFC quarterback could have did that last season."
Hawkins has a point or two. Just in the NFC East Division alone you can't find a single quarterback who could have done for the Commanders what Daniels did.
Dak Prescott again struggled to even be available for the Dallas Cowboys let alone lift them up. Jalen Hurts won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles but it was the dominance of the defense and an MVP-worthy performance from running back Saquon Barkley that elevated the champions. The New York Giants have two new quarterbacks vying for snaps this year, so Daniel Jones is clearly out of the equation.
Of course, there are other talented quarterbacks in the NFC, but in a quarterback-driven league it appears at least possible that none drove their team's success more than the rookie.
Because of it, there are some who are starting to drive the narrative that last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year could be this year's Most Valuable Player, and it appears we can count Hawkins among those who likely believe it is at least a possibility.
