Jayden Daniels is maturing into a better pocket passer late in his rookie year with the Commanders

Published Dec. 18, 2024 5:46 p.m. ET

Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — When Jayden Daniels was starring in his first few games in the NFL with the Washington Commanders, his first college coach expected the rookie quarterback to handle whatever speed bump was coming. Herm Edwards also predicted that Daniels would evolve.

“He understands that you’re going to win games from the pocket,” Edwards said in October. “You’ve got to win games from the pocket. That running is good and people get all excited, but at the end of the day you’ve got to play good within the framework of the pocket and he knows that and he can do that.”

Daniels has done that to near perfection the past two games, completing nearly 82% of his passes after converting 61% the previous five games, when he was coming off a rib injury. It's no coincidence then that the Commanders are on a two-game winning streak and at 9-5 remain on track to make the playoffs with Daniels leading the way.

“I would just say it’s just finding completions, getting the ball in my hands and letting the guys make plays," Daniels said Wednesday, his 24th birthday. "That’s kind of where we’re at now.”

Daniels still has the scrambling and running element to his game and heads into a rematch with the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday coming off a 66-yard rushing performance at New Orleans. He and the team could do without the eight sacks, but perhaps more importantly he was 25 of 31 for 226 yards passing and a couple of touchdown throws to top receiver Terry McLaurin.

But fine-tuning the passing prowess has been an area of emphasis for Daniels and the coaching staff since he joined the organization as the second pick in the draft.

“One of the things that we’ve worked really hard on is (Daniels) remaining a passer inside of the pocket," coach Dan Quinn said. “He's got legs to move, and so for him, remaining a passer longer, the guys stay in coverage longer, the receivers down the field are working. I think that part of the game, there’s been improvement and I would say we’re still progressing in that spot.”

Quinn said Daniels came out of college — first at Arizona State under Edwards, followed by two years at LSU — with a really solid background of fundamentals. An intangible he has noticed is making good decisions with the football.

That also has been better lately. Daniels has five touchdowns and just one interception in the past two games after throwing three picks during Washington's three-game losing streak in November.

Unsurprisingly, he remains a heavy favorite to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and he's the conference's leading Pro Bowl vote-getter at quarterback. After getting serenaded and presented with a cake for his birthday by teammate Mike Sainristil, Daniels acknowledged he has not thought much about the difference the past year has made and all the accolades and attention he has received.

“I’m doing really good, can’t complain," Daniels said. "It’s just keeping the main thing the main thing and being where my feet are. That’s what my parents always told me growing up is just be where your feet are. Don’t worry about the future, what happened in the past. All that matters in the moment.”

The next moment involves the Eagles coming to town with the league's top defense overall and against the pass. They present another difficulty level for Daniels a month after coming back to beat him and the Commanders 26-18 in the division rivals' first meeting of the season in Philadelphia.

Daniels looks to be an even better passer now, which he just chalks up to continuing to grow every game.

“I mean, you're either getting better or you’re getting worse, and I don’t want to get worse,” Daniels said. “(I'm) finding little ways to improve each and every game.”

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