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Joon Kim, ESPN staff writer
ASHBURN, Va. — One of Jayden Daniels’ worst throws this spring happened in front of the largest crowd he’s faced since becoming a member of the Washington Chiefs. After that, all he could do was smile.
After throwing the first pitch in a Washington Nationals game earlier this month, the Leaders’ last great hope at fullback pulled his effort into the left-handed batter’s zone.
It wasn’t terrible. But it was not a strike.
“It’s a good thing he’s throwing it here and not on the field,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said with a smile.
The misstep was one of the few times Daniels left observers unimpressed this spring. Otherwise, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft has left a positive early mark on his teammates and coaches. They know there are still more steps. He has yet to face a direct pass rush, an opposing defense, or anyone in the pads. Teammates and coaches have pointed this out; They also realize there will be good and bad days ahead as Daniels develops. But after getting a first look at the hours he spends in the facility, his ability to call, execute and direct plays on the field and his charismatic personality – they can’t wait to see how he progresses.
“Dude can throw it, man,” Andrew Wylie said. “He makes things look easy. There’s something special about his game.”
Before Daniels, Washington drafted five other quarterbacks in the first round from 1994 to 2019: Heath Schuler, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell, Robert Griffin III, and Dwayne Haskins. They combined to go 51-86 as starters for Washington, with one Pro Bowl selection (Griffin). Only Campbell has served as the primary starter for four years. He is also the only one to start 12 or more games in three different seasons.
Now comes Daniels, the Heisman Trophy winner who became the No. 2 overall pick — just like Griffin in 2012 — and who the leaders hope can finally find stability at the position.
“He’s a rookie,” one member of the organization said of Daniels. “There is still a lot to learn. At the same time, he is on the right track.”
This spring, mate After his teammate mentioned how early Daniels was arriving at the leaders facility.
“He always beats me here, so I think that’s great,” said defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who arrives at 6:45 a.m.
“You start doubting yourself a little bit, and you think you’re one of the first guys, and then it’s like he’s been here for a minute. He is,” said guard Nick Allegretti, who arrives at 6:30 a.m. I’ll be here at 6:30 so I’ll work on that and maybe get here at six.
Daniels clocks in at approximately 5:45 a.m
That’s what he did at LSU, too. Rookie receiver Luke McCaffrey joined Daniels in Washington.
The two players watch film, then head to the practice bubble to walk through the plays.
“I’m still learning the rules of the game and trying to understand everything,” Daniels said. “So just feeling good for a day and ready to go out and compete.”
The result: a young quarterback who teammates and coaches say is ahead of schedule in learning the offense and especially protection.
“His football IQ is really high,” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. “(With) protection, I’ve been really impressed with that. A lot of players that come into the league, that’s not an area they specialize in in college. They don’t have a lot of time. But he’s well-versed in protection and works at it.”
As a result, Daniels rarely makes mistakes when calling the play in the huddle, and coaches rarely need to repeat mistakes, according to Quinn, who listens via headset.
“It’s further away than it probably should be,” Quinn said.
“He’s a student (of the game), but he loves it. He loves talking about it, he loves watching it, he loves playing it, he loves playing it,” quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard said.
Daniels got Paying attention to his play on the field as well.
On one play, Daniels burst out of the pocket and sent a perfect pass down the field over the arms of a defender. In another instance, a teammate recalled, when a receiver was about to pass behind a linebacker, Daniels released the ball — anticipating his target would be open — to complete it.
“After the second or third cross he threw, I started telling the receivers, ‘Hey, you gotta turn your head,’” receiver Terry McLaurin said. “A lot of quarterbacks would want to see you cross the ball and get into that open area. Or if he is a player (coverage) they would like to see you open for him. He can make those throws and give you a catch and run.”
On another play, the defense tried to confuse him with a pre-snap move. Daniels paused and motioned to the players on either side of the formation; He used a tough count to get the defense to reveal his intentions — one coach called it a veteran move — taking the snap and connecting with tight end Ben Sinnott on a quick hitch against the blitz.
“Our quarterbacks have a lot of freedom to get to things where they can attack the defense based on what they see,” Pritchard said. “You see him applying those things he learned in the boardroom.”
After mistakes happen, Daniels often talks to one of his teammates. Tight end Zach Ertz can usually be seen with him after a series, gesturing with his hands as if discussing the route. McLaurin and Austin Ekeler said Daniels asked them to stay after practice so he could work on throwing a certain route.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a young quarterback that actually came in and within the first week was like, ‘Hey, can we get this rep after practice?'” said McLaurin, who has played with 10 different quarterbacks since joining the organization in 2019. “It makes the growth part a lot faster.”
Not only his play, but Daniels’ patience and poise in the pocket also stood out.
“A lot of players panic and try to make them just throw or run, but he feels good out there and looks forward to getting on the field,” Allegretti said. “A lot of beginners put their heads down and ran away. That was the biggest thing they jumped into.”
Daniels smiles at everyone When he’s not taking pictures. Even when he engaged in a friendly conversation with fellow rookie Sam Hartman during a pre-practice workout, the smile never left his face.
“He’s very charismatic,” McLaurin said. “He’s really personable when he walks into the building, very friendly.”
One employee said he sees Daniels having breakfast at a different table, with different players, almost every day.
When Daniels met special teams/backup safety standout Jeremy Reeves for the first time, the rookie approached him and said, “Hey, what’s up Revo?”
“That speaks volumes about the guy, that he takes the time to get to know everyone,” Reeves said.
“We sat down and talked, and talked the ball. On the first day (of training) I had an option against him, and I told him: ‘Hey, if I leave this ball behind him more, he’ll make it that way.’ It’s difficult for me outside of that position to come in and do that.” “The play. He’s open to constructive criticism and that’s what you want with these players. What matters most is who they are off the field, and how they are in the locker room with the players.”
Daniels said he likes to talk to as many of his teammates as possible, especially on the field, to help him learn.
“You try to absorb as much as you can, and you have guys like Bobby (Wagner) who have been playing at a high level for a very long time, so as much as I can be around them and pick their brains, I’m willing to do that,” Daniels said.
Quinn had a He plans to split first-team reps among the quarterbacks this spring. Prior to last week’s mandatory minicamp, Marcus Mariota took the majority of the first-team snaps. Once minicamp began, that share went to Daniels, along with footage of projected starting center Tyler Biadasz during preseason drills.
That’s why no announcement has been made on whether or not Daniels will enter training camp as a starter, Quinn said.
“There’s no doubt that Jayden is making incredible progress here,” Quinn said. “It was really clear that he was set to work.
“It’s a bit of a swagger for him. He actually has a very assertive approach to the things we do, but he also has the humility of a young player… and he knows he has a lot to prove.”
But there is more to learn and more situations for Daniels to endure. He still has to face defenses designed to deceive him; He still has to prove he can consistently make the necessary throws from tight windows, especially in the red zone. And how will he handle the NFL pass rush once the pads go on?
During a quick series last week, Daniels missed several passes with the pocket tight. He knocked tight end Cole Turner down the field with a deep cross-field pass. On the next play, Daniels tried to check the ball in front of Ekeler, but the ball fell at his feet.
Daniels said he will train this summer in Southern California with his quarterbacks coaches and perhaps some of the captains’ receivers. He will continue to study the rules of play and, as he said, “prepare for the season.”
He knows he still has to prove what he can do in the fall. It’s part of the growth process for any rookie quarterback, even one who made a strong first impression.
“I’m not a star quarterback yet,” Daniels admitted last week. “I have a long way to go.”
Ekeler, who played his first seven NFL seasons with the Chargers, played with a longtime quarterback in Philip Rivers as well as a rookie in Justin Herbert. He knows that while spring was an essential step for Daniels, it is just one step among many.
“It’s hard to say anything until you get to the preseason and see how things are going,” Ekeler said. “But I’m proud of the strides he’s made so far.”
