Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels steps into action

ASHBURN, Va. – The Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback Jayden Daniels is off to a solid start, which comes as no surprise to the previous Commanders quarterback.

Jason Campbell, a former first-round pick of the Washington Redskins and a four-year starter for the franchise, became a fan of Daniels after watching him play in college at LSU. Daniels’ success as a running back has benefited the Commanders during their 1-1 start, Campbell said, and can help Daniels change into more comfortable within the team’s passing game. Campbell is optimistic about Daniels’ future, provided the Washington coaching staff properly handles the young player’s development.

Campbell said Daniels continues to make the precise decisions because the team prepares on the practice facility for a Week 3 road game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“One of the things he does really well is protecting the ball. He hasn’t thrown an interception yet, and for a rookie quarterback through his first two games, that’s really good,” Campbell told Andscape on Tuesday. “Even when that (fumble) happens, and it’ll occur, you’ll be able to see he understands he has to make good decisions with the ball. I do know they’re attempting to protect him from running an excessive amount of. I understand it’s a giant deal (a couple of potential injury). There was quite a lot of discuss him rushing 16 times in Week 1.

“But it’s not like they designed 16 runs for him. If they did, yes, that would be a problem. But most of those runs were rushes. Those runs are going to open up explosive plays in the passing game because of the pressure they put on the defense when a quarterback can run like he can. There’s just not a lot of guys who can do that. The difference in Washington from LSU is that in addition to the running, he had so many explosive passing plays at LSU. Once he starts building that chemistry with his receivers, combined with the running, those plays are going to happen.”

Selected second overall within the 2024 draft, the 23-year-old Daniels is amongst six quarterbacks chosen in the primary round, tying a record set in 1983. Through two games, the Washington rookie has been the perfect of the bunch.

Daniels accomplished 75.5 percent of his passes for 410 yards. While he didn’t have any touchdown passes, Daniels, crucially, didn’t have any interceptions either. Daniels has 132 rushing yards (and a formidable 5.1 yards per rush average) with two rushing touchdowns. He fumbled the ball twice, however the Commanders recovered it each times.

For comparison, the opposite two rookies playing at point guard, the No. 1 pick Caleb Williams Chicago Bears and the twelfth pick Because Nixa The Denver Broncos struggled. Both seemed overwhelmed by the speed of the sport.

After the visiting Commanders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Daniels’ profession debut, he showed poise of their home opener, confidently leading the game-winning drive that capped a 21-18 victory over the New York Giants. With the Commanders trailing 18-15 late within the fourth quarter, Daniels led the team in back-to-back field goals, including a 30-yarder as time expired. On those drives, he accomplished 7 of 9 passes for 91 yards. Daniels ran twice for 15 yards.

After watching Daniels at LSU, Campbell thought the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner’s game would translate well to the NFL because “it’s all about the RPO (run and pass option) in the league these days,” Campbell said. “NFL coaches want guys who can make plays with their legs now. And from the first time you watch him, you can see he really does that.”

In his current role as a radio analyst for Auburn Sports Network, Campbell has often watched Daniels play within the SEC. Selected as an analyst for his alma mater in 2023, Campbell was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2004. That season, he led undefeated Auburn to an SEC championship and a Sugar Bowl victory.

Washington chosen Campbell in the primary round (twenty fifth overall) of the 2005 draft. He then had a 10-year NFL profession, also playing for the then-Oakland Raiders, Bears, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.

When Campbell first saw Daniels, who transferred to LSU after three seasons at Arizona State, play in person, one thought immediately got here to mind: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Although Daniels wasn’t as polished as Jackson, the two-time AP NFL MVP, “you could see some of the same things,” Campbell said. “Guys like Lamar, Jalen Hurts (of the Philadelphia Eagles), Justin Fields (of the Pittsburgh Steelers) … they make big plays with their legs.

“When I was playing, they (coaches) always wanted you to stay in the pocket. If you didn’t stay in the pocket, it was like, ‘Oh shit. I did something wrong.’ Now, if you can get out of the pocket and run like they do, coaches see that as an added threat. The whole coaching mindset has changed. It’s a big bonus now. The RPO game has really allowed guys to come in and start right away and learn on the field. A guy like Daniels can beat you with his legs and his arm.”

As a member of the fraternity of black quarterbacks in Washington, Campbell is a giant fan of Daniels’ development.

Quarterback Doug Williams’ iconic, myth-busting Super Bowl performance got here when he led Washington to a 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII in 1988. Williams became the primary black quarterback to start out a Super Bowl game and won the sport’s MVP award.

Although Williams, who’s a senior adviser to the Washington general manager, was not drafted by the Commanders and commenced only 14 games for the franchise in 4 seasons, all the black quarterbacks who play for the team accomplish that in his shadow, Campbell said. The club also drafted Robert Griffin III (2012, No. 2 overall) and Dwayne Haskins (2019, No. 15 overall) in the primary round.

“You feel like there’s a little extra pressure to live up to that,” Campbell said. “Because he was the primary black quarterback to win a Super Bowl and he did it for Washington, that’s a giant deal.

“But the bottom line is, to get anywhere in this league as a quarterback, you have to be in the right place, in the right situation, and have the right pieces around you. For (Daniels), it’s going in a pretty good direction right now.”

Commanders fans, hungry for fulfillment, are hoping Daniels continues on his current profession path.