John Keim
ASHBURN, Va. — All Jayden Daniels did as a rookie was this: lead the Washington Commanders to their first NFC Championship Game since the 1991 season; help the team have its best offense in more than a decade; win offensive rookie of the year and finish seventh in the MVP voting.
But to make sure his encore can be just as productive, the Commanders had to keep building around Daniels. Which is what they did this offseason.
While Washington finished fifth in scoring and seventh in yards in 2024, this season will present more challenges. The Commanders play eight games against defenses that finished top-seven in scoring — facing the Eagles twice — and nine vs. teams in the top 10.
They also play in a division that has top defensive linemen such as Dallas Cowboys end Micah Parsons, Eagles tackle Jalen Carter, and a New York Giants front that includes end Brian Burns and tackle Dexter Lawrence II, as well as rookies Abdul Carter and Donovan Ezeiruaku in the draft.
They also know, with Daniels on a rookie contract, they can add more expensive veterans such as tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Deebo Samuel to bolster the offense.
“We’re just trying to make our team as good as possible all the time,” Washington general manager Adam Peters said. “That does give us more flexibility but knowing that eventually at some point that’ll come to an end.”
The Commanders focused on protecting Daniels and improving the skill talent around him. But here are three more ways they’ve helped their star QB.
Fixing the line
Washington could have new starters at three positions this season, and four if you include a temporary fill-in for injured right guard Sam Cosmi. And Cosmi would be the only one still starting from the 2023 season.
The Commanders traded for Tunsil, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and drafted tackle Josh Conerly Jr. with the 29th overall pick in the draft last month. This will allow them to move Brandon Coleman, a third-round pick in 2024 who started 15 of their 20 games at left tackle, to guard — a position multiple scouts and analysts said was a better fit for him coming out of college.
These were key moves considering the pass rushers they’ll face in the NFC East.
It’s not as if Daniels was under siege all season; he wasn’t. He was pressured on 32.6% of his throws, ranking 22nd in the NFL; that jumped to 34.4 over his past five games. That percentage might not always tell the story, as he was considered under pressure less than quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes.
However, Daniels’ average time in the pocket was 2.48 seconds — 18th in the NFL — and he was sacked 47 times, fifth most in the NFL. A number of those, however, stemmed from him running out of bounds either at or behind the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, Hurts’ average time in the pocket was an NFL-best 2.75 seconds.
“That’s your franchise,” former Washington coach Jay Gruden said of Daniels. “This is a guy that can take you to places you haven’t been in a long time. For that to happen, you have to have good protection; it also helps the run game which will help protect Jayden as well.”
And it’s not as if Daniels couldn’t handle pressure; he posted a third-best QBR of 70.3 when considered under pressure. But as one league executive said, the revamped line will allow Daniels to play with more trust in the pocket — and that could result in having to scramble less. He said it would make Daniels “a lot better.”
Besides, more consistent protection and increased weapons should result in fewer scrambles. Daniels led the NFL with 70 scrambles last season — 19 more than any other quarterback.
But, if it plays out as Washington hopes, it should also improve the Commanders’ run game. Washington likes to run a lot of plays in which the guard and tackle pulls. The new line should be more athletic than last season, which would also help in the screen game.
That, in turn, would enable Daniels to hand off more than run.
And after being drafted, when asked what Washington got in him, Conerly said, “Someone that’s going to make sure their quarterback stays upright and opens up lanes for anybody else.”
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Josh Conerly Jr.’s NFL draft profile
Check out highlights from Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. as he is drafted by the Washington Commanders.
Adding playmakers
Washington re-signed Daniels’ security blanket in tight end Zach Ertz, who caught 66 passes with seven touchdowns in 2024. They also re-signed wide receiver Noah Brown, who caught 35 passes in 11 games before injuring his kidney and being placed on injured reserve. They allowed Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown to leave in free agency.
But the Commanders wanted to add more dynamic ability to their offense.
Washington’s offense ranked 22nd in pass plays of 20 or more yards. To help, Washington traded for Samuel and drafted speedy receiver Jaylin Lane in the fourth round. In the past four years, Samuel has recorded 55 such plays — 18th most in the NFL. But 23 of those occurred in 2021.
However, the Commanders are banking on Samuel having a solid year in this area. After all, his 8.8 yards after the catch leads all receivers over the past four years — he’s second over the past two seasons. So he can help on underneath throws and screens in particular, both of which are key parts of Washington’s attack.
“This is an explosive player,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. “Not just [within] the scheme, but after he gets the ball in his hands.”
Meanwhile, Lane can provide immediate help as a punt returner. He averaged 10.2 per return at Virginia Tech last season and 10.9 during five collegiate seasons, including three at Middle Tennessee State.
Lane, who played mostly in the slot, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds.
“I’m fast and versatile,” Lane said. “I want to bring explosion and just be a reliable target for Jayden.”
Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry called him “deceptively quick.” He also said he plays bigger than his listed 5-foot-10, 196 pounds. That enabled Tech to use him as a runner and receiver.
“He’s a challenging man for a lot of reasons,” Pry said, “with the speed to find a void in the zone — he can do that quick for you.
“He’s got some running back qualities. He’s very good with the ball in his hands. He stronger and runs tougher than people expect.”
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Jaylin Lane’s NFL draft profile
Check out some stats and info from draft prospect Jaylin Lane of Virginia Tech.
Retaining key staff members
When Quinn set up his offensive coaching staff he did so with a nod toward promoting from within in case offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was one-and-done in Washington. Kingsbury didn’t leave, but Quinn nearly lost his succession plan as other coaches interviewed elsewhere.
However, all remained in Washington. Not to mention they re-signed Marcus Mariota to back up Daniels. Last year, Daniels often said how much Mariota helped him, echoing what many close to him had said for months.
“In a perfect scenario, a young quarterback would have a leader to also learn from,” Quinn said during last season, “but perfect rarely happens. But we do have that in Marcus Mariota. Him sharing nine years of gold with Jayden, I think, has been something that’s really cool for us to see. Rookie quarterbacks usually don’t get that.”
Daniels clicked with the staff as well. He would conduct early-morning walkthroughs three days a week with Kingsbury and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard. Daniels would text them and assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough often. Daniels also had fun with them: Every Friday he and Blough would compete in a quarterback version of Horse — throwing a ball into a net with three targets. They talked trash quite often during these times. But Daniels also said Blough, only 29 and an NFL quarterback as recently as 2023, knew how to motivate him.
With Kingsbury, though, Daniels gets his playcaller back and someone he clicked with from the beginning.
“He’s meant a lot, obviously, for my development and my growth,” Daniels said in December, “from the day I stepped foot here to this point now.”
