Jayden Daniels has something to prove.
As the Commanders opened their offseason workouts Wednesday, all eyes were on Washington’s franchise quarterback as he began preparations for his third NFL season.
“If you don’t feel like you have something to prove, you should not be in this profession,” Daniels said.
The pressure on Daniels intensified because of a series of injuries that derailed his 2025 campaign. The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year started just seven games in his sophomore effort, as his efficiency numbers plummeted while Washington limped to a disappointing 5-12 record.
Daniels didn’t mince words, saying Wednesday that last season “sucked.”
“It left a bitter taste in my mouth from last year, just how everything played out,” he said. “You go into the offseason and find ways to mentally get better, physically, emotionally, everything. Just focused on what I can focus on, control what I can control.”
The process featured the workouts and film study that you would expect during an NFL pro’s offseason. But Washington’s signal-caller also hosted teammates at his home in Southern California and chatted with new offensive coordinator David Blough about non-football topics.
“Continuing just to pour into my teammates and the people around me,” he said. “I’ve got to pour into myself first, but also be able to pour into them and uplift them.”
Teammates have noticed Daniels’ offseason work. Last year, the LSU product arrived at voluntary workouts with a notably bulkier physique. This year, he arrived with a clear command of a brand-new offense.
Blough’s scheme is a far cry from the spread, air-raid style favored by former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
Daniels had just 31 under-center dropbacks in his first two seasons with Kingsbury. That number is expected to multiply under an offense that guard Sam Cosmi called more traditional. The change hasn’t caught Daniels flat-footed.
“His approach to this new system and how he’s adopted it, he’s been studying it the whole offseason. You can tell,” Cosmi said. “He has full range of everything. They’re giving him a bit more on his plate when it comes to the mental aspect of things, and he’s doing a phenomenal job.”
Daniels is no longer the young kid in the Commanders’ locker room. He’s the leader.
“The standard hasn’t changed. Guys have been looking at me since Year One. But now it’s like, how can I build a connection with everybody within the locker room?” Daniels said. “I do have a voice, and a lot of people listen to what I’m going to say. From there, it’s just continuing to show up and be myself every day.”
Commanders coach Dan Quinn hired Blough and new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones to overhaul the two struggling units this offseason. But he’s looked to Daniels to lead the charge on offense.
The quarterback is already responsible for calling plays in the huddle, ensuring proper alignment and making checks at the line of scrimmage.
“It’s more of his ability to communicate with everybody else and really get all of them on the same page quickly,” Quinn said, noting Daniels’ increasingly vocal role on the field. “He’s one of the fastest learners, so he’ll pick up on things most quickly. Then, how can he get everyone else in that space?”
Wednesday was the first of nine voluntary “organized team activity” sessions for Daniels and the Commanders. The team will have nine workouts over the next three weeks before a mandatory minicamp in mid-June.
But, partly because of the demands of a new playbook, the vast majority of Commanders have already arrived to start the voluntary work.
“I’ve been pleased with this team and the connection they’re building together,” Quinn said. “They’re growing that type of brotherhood that you need to play well. We’ll just continue to see that over the course of the spring. … It’s an important phase for that, especially because [the schemes are] new.”
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