Jayden Daniels might be going through some struggles right now, but the future remains bright. The Washington Commanders picked the right guy at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. This is a sentiment echoed by media members and players around the league alike.
Daniels turned on the style late against the Dallas Cowboys despite not having things go well beforehand. It was an unusually erratic display from the signal-caller, who couldn't generate any momentum and left himself with too much to chase down the stretch.
The Commanders fell to their third straight defeat with more questions than answers about the team's short-term aspirations. Perhaps they set the bar too high for themselves in Year 1 of a substantial rebuild. Looking at the bigger picture, Daniels has the tools needed to get this franchise back to prominence if other position groups are enhanced by Adam Peters.
That's for the future. For now, Daniels continues to win fans across the NFL. One, in particular, was a constant thorn in the Heisman Trophy winner's side during Sunday's loss.
Micah Parsons believes Commanders will be a force with Jayden Daniels
All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons had nothing but good things to say about Daniels. He fully bought into the hype after seeing him perform in the flesh. The Cowboys standout added that if the Commanders utilize his exceptional skills correctly, it won't be much longer before they're a legitimate force.
"And I said this to him during the game, I said, ‘Yo, J, if y’all would’ve played like how y’all played in that fourth quarter, all game, I think you could be unstoppable.’ I think he’s the caliber where you can have a complex system and you can say, ‘Just let him loose.’ It’ll be very interesting to see how they use him in the back half of the season, especially with December football right here and obviously their playoff hopes; I think the hype is real about him. That is a really talented team and they have the ability to be really, really good for a long time with Jayden Daniels at quarterback."Micah Parsons via USA Today
This was some much-needed perspective and a confidence boost from what many would perceive as an unlikely source. Parsons will be doing everything possible to ensure Daniels flounders twice a season. At the same time, the former Penn State star seems suitably impressed with the dual-threat weapon.
It won't mean much to Daniels in the grand scheme of things. He's a team-first guy and won't be happy with the way things have gone in recent weeks. The quarterback needs to get back to basics, keep the tempo high on offense, and rely on the traits that saw him take the league by storm over the first half of 2024.
That's only going to help Washington's chances of making the postseason. They are down in the dumps following their first prolonged slump in results since Dan Quinn took charge. However, they are far from out at 7-5 with their bye week upcoming.
Daniels has been in plenty of big games in college. He's also proven capable of coming through in critical moments as a pro. The Commanders need all that and more from the LSU product in pursuit of meeting increased expectations.
As for Parsons? He'll watch in admiration. At least until the storied rivals face off again in Week 18.