Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels impresses Doug Williams

Not one for hyperbole, Washington franchise legend Doug Williams selected his words fastidiously.

After greater than 46 years within the NFL, Williams has seen enough to know that one great game doesn’t guarantee a Pro Football Hall of Fame profession. He’s the established, starting quarterback for the Commanders Jayden Daniels caught Williams’ attention.

“When you draft a quarterback as high as we did, you have to be happy with what you’ve seen so far,” Williams told Andscape on Tuesday. “But really, considering what he’s doing… I’m still trying to know the way it all happened. And one night you only don’t see it in a young guy.

After his breakout performance in a 38-33 road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on , Daniels is each the talk of the league and a (very) early favorite for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award. How could he not be at the highest of the list after dealing a series of crushing blows to the Bengals?

Completing 91.3% of his passes – he did not connect with Washington receivers only twice in 23 attempts – Daniels set an NFL rookie record en path to being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. He also had 254 passing yards, two passing yards and one rushing touchdown, while continuing to display exceptional pocket presence and elite elusiveness as a running back.

In just his third profession start, Daniels led Washington in scoring on all six possessions (excluding kneels). The Commanders have been out of punts since Week 1 and haven’t committed a turnover this season. Add all this up and it’s no surprise that the team starts the match with a 2-1 record.

The Commanders and their long-suffering fans were eagerly waiting for a passer to steer them out of the NFL desert. While Williams is not yet able to anoint Daniels because the Commanders’ savior, he said Daniels looks as if the fitting person for the job.

“We have a starting quarterback, a rookie, and we’ve not hit the ball in two weeks. said Williams, senior adviser to the commander. “(Monday) night was really something. You don’t expect that after the last two matches without points. But really, you’ll be able to’t ask for more from a rookie in all three games up to now.

Entering week three, Daniels, the second overall pick within the 2024 draft, was already off to one of the best start amongst six signal-callers chosen in the primary round, tying a record set in 1983. a canyon-sized gap between Daniels and the remainder of the pack: The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner leads the NFL in completion percentage with a formidable 80.3%.

With the Arizona Cardinals scheduled to host the Commanders in Week 4, Washington’s charter plane headed straight to Phoenix after the team’s victory over Cincinnati. The next morning, Williams woke up desperate to watch game film.

After graduating, Williams had much more reasons to smile.

“Even if he misses a player or two here or there, he makes up for it with a positive streak or something like that,” Williams said. “Every time they scored, we scored. He was all the time capable of answer the bell. And once I have a look at this guy, he never gets offended.

“What really stands out about him is that he’s on top of things in any respect times. He’s never in a rush. This is unheard of for a novice. Again, you only don’t see novices having that much composure, especially (after just three starts). Believe me, I do know.

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 passer to begin within the Super Bowl and won the sport’s MVP award.

Although Williams was not drafted by the brass and only played 14 games for the team over 4 seasons, the entire black quarterbacks on the team accomplish that in his shadow. The club also drafted Jason Campbell (2005, twenty fifth overall), Robert Griffin III (2012, 2nd overall) and Dwayne Haskins (2019, fifteenth overall) in the primary round.

Williams understands there will likely be no tempering of expectations amongst Washington fans immediately. That’s not realistic after Daniels’ first signature performance, “but he’s still going to have his ups and downs,” Williams cautioned. “He will still must undergo some things. He’s not immediately inducted into the Hall of Fame after Monday night.

“You also understand the work he does. You’ll be hard-pressed to see a rookie quarterback doing what he’s doing after just three games. And what he does, he does due to the person he’s. No matter what happens, he’s the identical guy each day. He’s cool. He is selective. That’s what I’m going to say about it.”

Enough said. For Washington, Daniels does the heck out of it. And Williams is here for it.