Jayden Daniels has tackled everything put in front of him since being taken No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. The promising quarterback transitioned seamlessly to the Washington Commanders, winning over teammates with high-level production and an exceptional work ethic. All signs point to the signal-caller starting in Week 1 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but there are still some tricky factors to navigate beforehand.
The next big test for Daniels was joint practice with the New York Jets. This was another first for the signal-caller going up against legitimate NFL competition. There’s no live fire in terms of hits. However, the physicality and speed ramped up exponentially.
Robert Saleh has one of the league’s most dynamic young defenses at his disposal in 2024. They’re without star pass-rusher Haason Reddick, who is holding out for a new deal following his trade from the Philadelphia Eagles. Aside from that, it’s an embarrassment of riches with the likes of Quinnen Williams, Sauce Gardner, Jermaine Johnson, D.J. Reed, and C.J. Mosley capable of making things extremely difficult.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels got a difficult test from NY Jets defense
This is like nothing Daniels has experienced over his NFL journey so far. The pace quickened and the margins for error got slimmer. It was also the best evaluation tool so far to see how the signal-caller is developing after a whirlwind preparation period littered with rave reviews.
The conditions were nothing short of atrocious, which made things difficult for Daniels. However, it was the first time he’d displayed some inaccuracies. Nothing to be overly concerned about. This was merely a rude awakening versus a defense that is expected to take the next step into genuine dominance in 2024.
Jayden Daniels threw a beautiful pass to Dyami Brown who made the impressive one-handed catch
(:@Commanders) pic.twitter.com/nYv0T43fl7
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) August 8, 2024
There were a few wow moments from Daniels, most notably his deep strike that was superbly brought in by wide receiver Dyami Brown downfield. He was limited to check-downs and not much else during 11-on-11, going 7-of-15 according to those in attendance . Not mind-blowing by any stretch, but wide receiver Terry McLaurin seemed suitably impressed by the way he handled the occasion during comments to the media post-practice.
I just think he’s been consistent since he’s been here. He calls the plays well. He gets us in and out of the huddle. Sometimes when we go up-tempo he knows what he’s doing, and it just feels like he has a good feel for what Kliff [Kingsbury] and the offensive staff want him to do. So, as you can see, a lot of guys touched the ball. We have a lot of weapons, so that will continue to be the case and I think he’s doing a good job of taking what the defense gives him. But also when he has a chance to push the ball down the field, he’s not afraid to do that.Terry McLaurin
Daniels also received reassurance from All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner after practice. He thinks the Commanders have a tremendous player on their hands and he told the signal-caller as much once the session concluded. Given the esteem in which the defensive back is held around the league, this opinion carries a ton of weight.
This was another box ticked off for Daniels. He was going against new coverages and schematic alignments for the first time after spending weeks versus the same system. The first-year pro will have learned more from this practice than any other so far. Harnessing this positively moving forward is the next challenge.
Anyone expecting Daniels to have his way with the Jets defense – especially in this sort of weather – was kidding themselves. There were some good moments. There were some not so good. Expect the same trend to continue until Washington’s great hope for the future fully acclimatizes sooner rather than later.
