This season for the Washington Commanders has been nothing short of amazing. There's plenty of praise to go around, but one man deserves a lot of it.
Jayden Daniels.
Currently the front-runner for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Daniels has led this offense to the second-most yards in the league (3,528) and second-most points (263). Doing this in general is elite. Doing it as a first-year quarterback makes it much more special.
Through eight weeks of football, including Week 7 where Daniels was knocked out of action in the first quarter, the Heisman Trophy winner has completed 71.5 percent of his passes for 1,945 yards, nine touchdowns, and just two interceptions. He has also added 459 rushing yards and four scores on the ground on 82 carries, good for 5.6 yards a pop.
He has not only propelled his team to a 7-2 record but has also elevated into the NFL MVP conversation. It's been a remarkable start for Daniels. And he's just getting started.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels' impressive traits at midseason
Athleticism and rushing
We all know this was one of Daniels' major selling points as a draft prospect. The former LSU star rushed for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023. This has translated almost flawlessly to the NFL.
Daniels is on a season pace for 975 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. That is elite production, especially given he's a pocket passer first.
The rushing upside makes Daniels one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league. If all his wide receivers are covered downfield, that's fine. He can get out of the pocket and run for at least a few yards if not major yardage.
Daniels' athleticism also allows him to extend plays effortlessly. If pressure hits home, his elusiveness allows him to scramble out of the pocket, allowing receivers to get open and create big plays.
With Daniels at quarterback, the play is never dead until you hear the whistle.
OMGGGGGGG
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 6, 2024
📺 #CLEvsWAS FOX pic.twitter.com/8RHOEseQVy
Limiting turnovers
Daniels only has two interceptions as a rookie halfway through the season. That is unheard of.
Kliff Kingsbury deserves a lot of credit for developing Daniels. He only has five turnover-worthy throws on the year according to Pro Football Focus. He looks like a seasoned veteran already.
Fumbling has not been an issue, which is amazing since Daniels loves to run the ball. He has only three fumbles on the season. All three came in the Week 1 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ball Placement
After Daniels caught his stride in Week 3, his ball placement has been outstanding. There are a few misses here and there, but that happens to any quarterback. It's been remarkable to witness overall.
His deep ball is where this is most noticeable. Daniels catches his receiver in stride and lays the football on point more often than not. This creates tons of chunk plays for the Commanders.
It's not just the deep ball where this is evident. He consistently puts the football in the best spots for his wideouts without the defender interfering. That's a rare trait for someone so young.
Intermediate throws
One of the biggest tells of how well a prospect is transitioning to the NFL is their intermediate distribution. Think C.J. Stroud, who was great at these throws in college and continued this trend in the pros. Daniels has done the same thing.
Daniels was mostly known for his deep ball in college, but his intermediate throws were amazing on film. Pro Football Focus has given the Cajon High School product a 96.2 grade on throws in this area of the field, which makes him one of the league's more prolific already.
We all love the deep plays, but those intermediate throws are what continue to help Washington's offense drive up the field quickly.
How Jayden Daniels can improve over the second half of 2024
Red-zone efficiency
The red zone is the hardest spot in the NFL for an offense. Even with being the second-best offense in the league statistically, the Commanders are one of the worst red zone offenses.
Washington's offense only converts red zone trips into touchdowns 51.22 percent of the time, which is No. 26 around the league. This is something Daniels and the offense need to figure out if they want to sustain their fairytale start.
We can look at this as a good thing, too. This means the offense can level up. The offense drives down the field with ease on almost every drive. If Daniels and the offense can fix their red zone issues, they can go from one of the top units in the league to the best.
Taking unnecessary hits
This is something Daniels has gotten better with recently. Part of that has likely been due to the rib injury he suffered in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers. Before that, he was not sliding properly and constantly took big hits. This couldn't continue for much longer.
Fans have to hope that once the rib injury is completely healed, Daniels won't go back to just throwing himself to the ground head-first instead of sliding and taking huge hits. Step out of bounds or properly slide. The fate of the franchise depends on it.