The full slate of NFL preseason action begins this week, and the Washington Commanders will be hosting the Miami Dolphins on Friday night. Now, we all ask the annual August question: do you play the starters, or sit them?
And when it comes to star quarterback Jayden Daniels, the answer is non-negotiable.
He must play.
Jayden Daniels must play more during the Commanders' preseason slate
Last year, Daniels played one series throughout Washington's three-game preseason slate. Not one game. One series. And he didn't throw a single pass.
He then never got into the rhythm he'd found during his 2024 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, and appeared in only seven contests while Washington went 5-12.
Suffice to say, mistakes were made. It all started right there, and it can't happen again.
Some fans will instinctively squirm at the thought of risking injuries to key players in games that don't count, especially after Washington just lost five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to what might be a season-ending torn triceps. But if we're going to be that paranoid, let's just cancel football and have him walk around wrapped in bubble wrap.
You can't go through life living in fear of the worst possible outcome.
Plenty of good things can also come out of Daniels suiting up. Frankly, it would serve the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner well to test his durability after the way last season went.
Joe Burrow is playing, and Jayden Daniels has even more to prove
The Cincinnati Bengals have already announced quarterback Joe Burrow, who comes into the new campaign with similar injury concerns, will be playing on Friday in their contest against the Detroit Lions. Like his fellow LSU alum, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick missed most of 2025, and it cost his team dearly.
Daniels has even more to prove this year than Burrow does. He can't afford to be kiddie-wheeled back into action.
This is potentially the season that will make the biggest difference in defining how he is viewed long-term in the NFL. Whether Daniels sinks or swims, the control needs to be in his hands.
Daniels has looked sharp in training camp by all indications, and seems to already have a strong grasp of new coordinator David Blough's offense. Great. Now let's put that to the test against real NFL competition, as opposed to his own teammates.
This isn't to say Daniels should play the entire game on Friday. But at least one or two series would be ideal, and then the entire first quarter if not first half in Detroit a week from Saturday.
Daniels is too valuable to Washington to start off another season unprepared and complacent. Last year, the Commanders thought they didn't need to test their franchise passer before September because he was going to waltz back to the playoffs and help them compete for a Super Bowl.
We'll see if they've learned their lesson.
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