Commanders 2024 midseason awards: Jayden Daniels blazes franchise-changing trail

How many of you had the Washington Commanders at 7-2 heading into the second half of the 2024 season?

Allow me to adopt a saying that has become famous in my family. My brother once said it during a heated touch football game when there was an in-bounds/out-of-bounds dispute: If you can honestly say that you predicted the Commanders would be 7-2, then you’re a liar.

I suspected that 5-4 was an attainable scenario at this point. Fans have been beaten down over the past several decades. They never predict best-case scenarios. There were so many new pieces to merge into a coherent unit. Rookie quarterbacks rarely hit the ground running the way Jayden Daniels has. There were still several obvious holes on the roster.

And yet, the Commanders are leading the NFC East.

The Philadelphia Eagles are starting to look a lot more like the team that almost won the Super Bowl in 2022, but there is no reason to assume that this incarnation of the Commanders cannot compete with them - perhaps even hold them off - for the division title. This team can play with anyone. That hasn’t been true for a long time.

Not coincidentally, it has been a long time since giving out midseason awards was fun. I love Tress Way, but having to continually admit that your punter is the team’s best player can get to be a drag.

We’re not going to pick anyone more than once, which will open things up a bit. As you can probably guess, one particular player would be up for about half of these honors if the rules allowed for it.

Even with that stipulation, we have plenty of outstanding players and performances to choose from this year. That’s what happens when you go 7-2.

Commanders 2024 midseason awards after fairytale start

Coach of the Year - Kliff Kingsbury

To be clear, the Coach of the Year has been Dan Quinn. Think of this award as something that recognizes someone below the level of head coach.

Kliff Kingsbury has worked wonders for the Commanders' offense this season. He has taken advantage of what Jayden Daniels can do, but the offensive coordinator has also designed game plans that get everyone involved.

Each week, a different set of players make big moments. One week, it might be Zack Ertz. The next week, Austin Ekeler shines. Noah Brown has impressed. So have depth running backs Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. We are still waiting for Kingsbury to take full advantage of rookies Ben Sinnott and Luke McCaffrey, but it's coming.

Kingsbury had something to prove. The supposed quarterback guru had failed to develop Kyler Murray. When he joined the staff at USC as an advisor last season, Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams seemed to regress. But the play-caller is showing what he can do with a dynamic signal-caller and plentiful offensive weapons.

The Commanders have scored more points than any team in the NFC. The Detroit Lions, who have had their bye, are averaging more. In the entire league, only the Baltimore Ravens have put up more points.