Even though the Washington Commanders could be without veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota in Week 17 against the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day, head coach Dan Quinn refused to go back on his decision to shut down Jayden Daniels. And it was the correct call.
There is no point throwing Daniels into the mix at this stage, even if he was medically cleared. The Commanders are barely treading water at 4-11. They have two games left before attention turns to offseason improvements, and fans are expecting significant changes to the playing personnel and potentially the coaching staff.
Daniels should also change. And according to one NFL analyst, this all starts by adjusting his style of play to preserve his longevity.
Jayden Daniels must stop taking so many hits to preserve Commanders' longevity
Zachary Perelus of CBS Sports identified protecting himself more effectively as Daniels' primary offseason objective. He's taking way too many hits, so sliding more effectively and improving his ability to risk assess in the line of fire is only going to serve him well moving forward.
"Even though he only completed three of his seven games, [Jayden] Daniels was contacted on 11.7 plays per game this season. That's the third-highest rate among quarterbacks, only behind Justin Fields (benched) and Justin Herbert. Simply put, Daniels takes too many hits. He was contacted on a league-high 12.4 plays per game last year, the fourth-highest rate in the league. Mobile quarterbacks tend to take more hits, but Daniels can do a better job avoiding them. Competitiveness is fine. It's very good, in fact -- a requisite for a professional athlete. But so, too, are smarts, availability and longevity."Zachary Perelus
Taking away Daniels' dynamism entirely would be foolish. He thrives on improvisation and keeping defenses guessing. That's a massive part of what made him successful during a rookie campaign for the ages, so this has to be about reining things in slightly to ensure he lives to fight another day.
That comes with experience. It comes with some harsh truths and demands from the coaching staff. Daniels' ultra-competitiveness is sometimes a gift and a curse. He's always fighting for extra yards when there is really no need. And when he crosses the line of scrimmage, opposing defenders are rightfully treating him like a running back.
Daniels said that the dislocated shoulder was just a freak accident, and he's been highly durable before this season. At the same time, he's not the size of Cam Newton, Josh Allen, or even Lamar Jackson, which increases the risk that sustained punishment will take its toll.
This is all about finding the correct balance. It's about matching Daniels' brilliance with being safe. This season was a rude awakening in no uncertain terms, but those who are starting to write the former LSU star off could look extremely foolish this time next year.
The Commanders are counting on it.