7 things Washington Commanders fans want to see in 2024

Jayden Daniels wins Offensive Rookie of the Year

My friends in Chicago have already given this award to Caleb Williams, so perhaps this is a pipe dream. Still, last year’s No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud fared better than Bryce Young, so maybe there is hope.

It would be foolish to expect Jayden Daniels to replicate the season Stroud had in 2023. It was one of the greatest rookie campaigns in NFL history. Robert Griffin III’s 2012 season is the only comparable one in the modern era.

The ceiling for Daniels is incredibly high. Like any rookie, he has plenty of work to do. But if the stars align, his maturity, deep-ball accuracy, and exceptional running ability could vault him into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks quickly.

Daniels will need plenty of help. He needs the new offensive line to keep him clean. He needs big production from young players like Jahan Dotson and Ben Sinnott to bolster expected contributions from veterans like Terry McLaurin and Austin Ekeler.

Most importantly, he needs quality coaching.

The Washington Commanders retained Tavita Pritchard as quarterbacks coach in 2024. He was one of the few bright spots on last year’s staff. In offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, they have a former quarterbacks coach - albeit at the college level - and they also have Brian Johnson, the coach who helped develop Jalen Hurts, as passing game coordinator.

Finally, they invested in former NFL quarterback David Blough to serve as Pritchard’s assistant. The Commanders recognize the need to help Daniels along. They accumulated a lot of wisdom on the staff. Hopefully, this will not turn into a case of “too many cooks,” and the LSU product will grow under their combined tutelage.

A change of Kevins on January 5, 2025

More than anything, Commanders fans long to watch their team play meaningful games in December and beyond. Except for 2020, this hasn’t been the case in a long time.

How are you going to gauge this? On January 5, 2025, in the final week of the regular season, Washington plays the Dallas Cowboys. We want Kevin Burkhardt calling that game. We don’t want Kevin Kugler.

No offense to Kugler, but he is in the lower tier of FOX play-by-play guys. Washington fans want to tune into the game on January 5 and hear Burkhardt - their lead guy - his new color counterpart, Tom Brady.

That, more than anything, will be a surefire indication that this franchise matters again. One little corollary to this in-the-booth shift. In the stands, we want to see late-season games filled with fans rooting for the home team. Not since 2017 have the Commanders had a winning record at home.

Since that final game will be played in Dallas, how about this? Home games in December with burgundy and gold-filled stands, and a final game in Dallas with Burkhardt and Brady in the booth. Those things will make Commanders fans very happy in 2024.