Only three weeks into his pro career, the accolades for Jayden Daniels are starting to pile up. On Wednesday, the Commanders quarterback was named the NFC offensive player of the week, an honor no Washington player had earned since Adrian Peterson in 2018.
Much of the praise for his play, which Monday night in Cincinnati was nearly perfect and included a 91.3 completion percentage, has focused on the quantifiable feats, of which there are many. Washington hasn’t turned the ball over this season — the last time it had three consecutive games without a turnover was 2012, when Robert Griffin III was the quarterback — and hasn’t punted in 17 drives.
There’s more: Daniels has the second-most rushing yards among quarterbacks (171), the fourth-best passer rating (111.8) and the second-most expected points added, or EPA, per dropback (0.34).
But it’s the unquantifiable that impresses Coach Dan Quinn and some of Daniels’s teammates most.
After Washington’s win over the Bengals, wide receiver Terry McLaurin praised the rookie’s leadership.
“He tries to keep my head right,” McLaurin said. “I do a good job of staying focused, but he’s been telling me ever since the Tampa game [in Week 1] when we missed [a deep pass attempt]: ‘I’m going to keep coming back to you. I’m going to keep coming back to you. Stay ready.’ To have that confidence from your quarterback, it means a lot to me, especially from a young guy.”
On Tuesday in Tempe, Ariz., where the Commanders are practicing for three days before facing the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Quinn lauded Daniels for his confidence.
“I keep using the word ‘poise’ … because he’s kind of always down for almost anything, like in the moment,” Quinn said. “And I wish you guys could be on the sidelines. Sometimes the bigger the challenge for him, the bigger the smile, and he just has that way about him. And I’ve really felt that over the last couple weeks, and I thought it some in the preseason when we were … getting ready, but it was a small sample size.”
That poise was tested Monday, when Daniels not only starred in his first prime-time game but showed his range as a passer. His accuracy and decision-making were well-documented in his college years, but the pro game requires adjustments — to the speed and size of players and often the breadth of plays. Daniels showed improvement in the preseason and during the first two regular season games, but it wasn’t until Monday when offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury let Daniels air it out.
Daniels averaged 9.3 air yards per attempt and had a deep passing rate (20 or more air yards) of 17.4 percent, ranking fifth and seventh among qualifying quarterbacks, respectively. He averaged 4.7 yards per attempt and went deep on just 3.8 percent of his attempts in the first two games.
McLaurin was the target for all four of Daniels’s deep pass attempts that traveled 20 or more yards in the air against the Bengals, the last of which resulted in the 27-yard game-sealing touchdown.
“To take a shot like that — that was a big-time throw that he’s going to continue to have to build on,” said McLaurin, who has lobbied for more explosive plays from the offense for years. “It’s going to help us going forward. I’m so excited for this team and I’m so excited for him because now, as a rookie, when you see those throws, you get more confidence. I think his confidence is just going through the roof right now. So we just got to keep building.”
No Ekeler in Arizona
The Commanders’ challenge against the Cardinals got a little steeper. Running back Austin Ekeler suffered a concussion and a laceration on his left ear and did not travel with the team to Arizona. On Wednesday, Quinn said neither Ekeler nor defensive end Clelin Ferrell (knee) will play Sunday.
Ekeler’s absence is a significant blow to Washington’s offense and special teams. In three games, Ekeler has 349 combined yards (rushing, receiving and returns) and leads the NFL in average yards after the catch (15.1)
His elusiveness and speed have been a boon for the Commanders. Without him, Washington will rely on Brian Robinson Jr. and Jeremy McNichols — and possibly one of their practice squad running backs: Chris Rodriguez Jr., Michael Wiley and Kazmeir Allen.
“It’s the right call for [Ekeler] on our short week, “Quinn said. “We’ll have a chance to see what next week looks like then. But we do have confidence [in the running backs]. It’s one of the groups that we have a deep crew that can roll strong. When called upon, we’re certainly ready to do that. We’re also excited for [McNichols]. He’s somebody who hasn’t gotten a lot of touches, a lot of opportunities, but I do know that he is somebody when given his chances, he does not miss his [opportunities].”
McNichols played just eight offensive snaps Monday but made his presence known with a body-slamming block in pass protection during Daniels’s touchdown throw to McLaurin.
Offensive line impresses
Although Daniels and his receivers drew praise for Monday’s win, plenty of credit goes to Washington’s offensive line, a group that has struggled with penalties and protection.
Washington continued to rotate left tackles Cornelius Lucas and Brandon Coleman, who played 30 and 29 snaps, respectively. Coleman in particular held up well against Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, and the line overall was stout in pass protection. Daniels was pressured seven times, or 21.9 percent, on his dropbacks, the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL in Week 3.
The line also was not penalized — thanks in part to guard Sam Cosmi, who at one point fell backward during Daniels’s third-quarter pass to Noah Brown to avoid an illegal player downfield penalty.
