Nothing much went according to plan for quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in 2025. Nagging injuries caused his demise, but head coach Dan Quinn continued to push the signal-caller onto the field, even when momentum was building around shutting him down for the entire campaign.
This came to a head against the Seattle Seahawks. The game was over, but Quinn failed to see the situation for what it was and took Daniels out. What followed was a dislocated elbow, and the Commanders eventually waved the white flag on his participation.
Quinn was heavily criticized in the immediate aftermath. He admitted mistakes were made, and the Commanders paid a heavy price. Ryan Porter, Daniels' personal quarterbacks coach, agreed with this notion, throwing fierce shade at the coach for completely mismanaging his franchise player.
Jayden Daniels' coach throws shade at Commanders for mismanaging his 2025 season
Porter, during a recent podcast appearance with John Keim of ESPN, added his name to the list of those who believe Daniels should have been shut down a lot sooner. He didn't believe the No. 2 pick in 2024 needed the reps, and this always looked like a disaster waiting to happen.
"Honestly, I probably would have shut him down a lot quicker. A lot of it was about reps. Does he? Does he really need to get reps? He played all the way to the NFC Championship game last year. At this point, you're just putting him out on the field, putting him in the line of fire, and you're just waiting for something catastrophic to happen next. It's okay... this is only your franchise quarterback for the next 20 years if he's fortunate enough to play that long. "Ryan Porter
Quinn never threw in the towel. Daniels is a competitive guy who wants to be on the field helping his teammates. But as the Commanders stumbled their way to just five wins when most expected a deep postseason run, those in power needed to be a little more self-aware about their predicament.
The Commanders will only go as far as Daniels takes them. He's an elite difference-maker at the sport's most pivotal position. Perhaps a little more care should have been taken, but Washington wasn't exactly going anywhere with so many other glaring flaws elsewhere.
It was a lesson. Quinn will learn from it, and Daniels is experienced enough to be a little but more vocal now. There is nothing either can do about the past. What's important now is focusing on the future as the Commanders look to bounce back quickly next time around.
If everyone grows from this experience, Daniels' sophomore complications should be nothing more than a blip. Everyone in Washington is counting on it.