Commanders’ WR Has 1-Word Description For QB Jayden Daniels

The Washington Commanders selected Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft and are hoping that he will resolve their quarterback situation, which has been in flux for decades.

Daniels is coming off of a fantastic 2023 campaign at LSU in which he won the Heisman Trophy and looked so terrific that many feel he is the most polished quarterback of his draft class.

The 23-year-old had his first set of practices at Commanders rookie minicamp this weekend, and third-round wide receiver Luke McCaffrey had one word to describe Daniels: stud.

“He’s a stud,” McCaffrey said, via John Keim of ESPN. “I know he’s one heck of a quarterback and a lot of fun to play with from a personality standpoint. I’ve had a blast in these 24 hours with him. … He’s just fun to be around; he’s good energy.”

But that wasn’t all.

Washington’s second-round draft pick, tight end Ben Sinnott, said that Daniels has the “it factor.”

That is some pretty lofty praise right off the bat, and even if the compliments came from fellow rookies, it’s still a very positive sign for Daniels moving forward.

Daniels threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 72.2 percent of his passes this past year. In addition, he racked up 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, averaging an incredible 8.4 yards per carry.

The Commanders have made just five playoff appearances since 1993, and much of that has to do with the fact that they have had to shuffle through countless signal-callers over the last 30 years.

Washington probably came closest to finding its franchise quarterback in Kirk Cousins back when he took over for Robert Griffin III as the team’s starter in 2014, but he ultimately signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency four years later.

Since then, the Commanders have run through names like Alex Smith, Case Keenum, Taylor Heinicke and, most recently, Sam Howell, but none of them were able to get the job done in the nation’s capital.

Washington has not posted a winning record since 2015 and has not won a playoff game since January 2006, representing the second-longest active streak in the NFL.

The Commanders are obviously hoping that Jayden Daniels can finally be the one to steer the franchise in the right direction.