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John Keim, ESPN Staff Writer
ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders could have named rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels the starter at the outset of training camp. They drafted him second overall for a reason, after all.
Although Daniels continues to compete with veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota — himself the second overall pick in the 2015 draft — for the job, in earnest, Daniels’ biggest competitor is himself.
But there’s still a few more things the Commanders want to see before announcing him as their QB1. Daniels has shown his skill during camp — his accurate and deft touch on his throws; the speed that makes him dangerous as a runner. However, Washington coaches still want him to show more consistency in all areas; from his footwork to making the right reads and proper checks.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn said the team’s plans for Daniels to be the starter aren’t a secret. But they’re not in a rush to make it official either. They have two joint practices and three preseason games ahead. Since taking over for Ron Rivera as coach this offseason, Quinn has preached his belief in competition to the rest of the team, and he wants that to apply to Daniels as well.
“We have an effective plan for him and Jayden’s the type of guy that wants to go nail it,” Quinn said. “[Others] want to look down the line, but he’s doing outstanding. We’re really pleased where [he’s] at, but we’re not changing the timeline or the guidelines of how we’re going to approach things.”
Quinn said the patient approach is not an attempt to motivate the former Heisman trophy winner. He just wants to make sure he’s well-prepared.
“When they’re ready, the team knows, the coaches know,” general manager Adam Peters said. “So, you don’t want to fast track it. You don’t want to slow it down. You just want to let it happen naturally.”
Washington has also given him help. In the offseason, the team added veterans such as linebacker Bobby Wagner, tight end Zach Ertz and running back Austin Ekeler to lessen the need for Daniels to become an instant team leader.
The organization also is trying its best to protect him from unrealistic expectations. The team has not made him the face of their promotional material, for instance. They don’t want him to become the face of the franchise until he shows what he can do in the NFL. And that’s all fine with Daniels.
“If we want to be successful as a team, everybody has to be as one,” Daniels said. “I’m never going to put myself out there in the spotlight to think I’m bigger than anybody, better than anybody. Everybody’s equal on the field and you got to go out there and compete.”
But Daniels also routinely shows why Washington picked him. On Tuesday, Daniels made multiple throws for 20 or more yards: A deep ball to wide receiver Terry McLaurin; a back shoulder to McLaurin and Olamide Zaccheaus and two passes to Jahan Dotson — one off a scramble and another off a play-fake.
“With him anything is possible,” Dotson said. “Me and Terry were talking about it on the sideline; he’s putting the ball in places where it makes our job so much easier. You cherish stuff like that. He’s a special talent.”
Mariota, a nine-year veteran, knows Washington signed him in March to provide a veteran presence for a rookie — not to be the starter. But there are still steps for Daniels to make, beginning with the fundamentals.
“Can I call the plays? Do I know where everybody is and is supposed to be?” quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard said. “Then it’s about the basics: getting the ball snapped and knowing his footwork.”
Once down, Washington wants to see how Daniels manipulates the defense based on his reads.
On one play during practice last week, the defense used a speed package to rush the passer — adding lighter, faster rushers in hopes of getting to the quarterback quicker. Daniels noticed the change in personnel and changed his play to a run up the middle which would have gained around 20 yards in a game situation.
“Just the assertiveness to say, ‘Hey man, I’m going to get to this check,'” Pritchard said. “All of those things were really positive… He’s progressing very well.”
But later in the practice, Daniels misfired on a throw to Ertz. The timing was off, and corner Tariq Castro-Fields broke over from the outside to deflect the ball.
Both plays — good and bad — enhance his education, Pritchard said.
“It’s learning from all those reps of, ‘Hey, that was really good. That’s a great step in the right direction,'” Pritchard said. “But inevitably there’s going to be those [plays] where, ‘Hey, your eyes were wrong there.'”
To help himself, Daniels often picks the brains of his teammates. He can always be seen talking to Ertz after plays and will often chat with Wagner and Ekeler among others — and of course his receivers.
“A lot of times young guys are afraid to come up and ask questions,” Wagner said. “Anytime you have somebody that’s just getting to the league that’s eager for knowledge, eager for understanding, want to learn, that’s always a sign of the guy’s going to be around for a long time.”
There are days Daniels looks more than ready, and other days that might reveal to the coaches he has more to learn. But through all the lifts and dips at training camp, Daniels says he will be ready whenever the team officially declares the job his.
“I’m ready to embrace the teammates, the fan base, everything that just comes with playing quarterback,” Daniels said. “You’ve got to be able to embrace everything that comes with it, the good and the bad. So, for me it’s how can I prepare myself to compete every day and then help out when it comes game time if my name is called.”
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