Jayden Daniels threw for 258 passing yards during Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Washington Commanders’ longest-term fans have been put through the ringer over the last decade. Name changes, coaching changes, cuts, and firings have been a yearly event for the team as they’ve struggled to find the winning formula.
This year, however, has been different. Broken NFL records, wins over respected teams like the 2024 Arizona Cardinals, and a playoff berth have instead been the talking points surrounding the team. Above all, Jayden Daniels has received glowing reviews from inside and outside the locker room.
The noise has led former employees to call it as they see it.
Gruden speaks out on ROTY contention
Taking to Twitter/X on December 22, former Commanders head coach Jay Gruden gave his opinion on the rookie quarterback following his gutsy win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Rookie of the Year is a done deal! What a win!” he posted.
Of course, Jay Gruden might also be wondering what might have been. The former Commanders head coach was on pace to be in the building to see Daniels succeed at one point, but ultimately was fired after an 0-5 start in 2019.
Had he been able to convince management to hang around through the years, he might have been able to pump his fist on the sideline. Instead, he now seemingly keeps an eye on the team from afar. Still, he appears to be in their corner as well.
Rookie of the Year chase narrows to three frontrunners
At this point, with nothing officially decided, it is still seemingly anyone’s game to win the award for Rookie of the Year. At the time of writing, most agree that the honor has been narrowed down to Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, and Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.
However, Nix’s second-half collapse against the Chargers and Brock Bowers’ status as a tight end put their hopes behind Daniels, who managed to beat one of the teams with a top record in the NFC.
With two games to play, has Daniels done enough to lock down the award?
