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One of the biggest surprises of 2024 was, without a doubt, the Washington Commanders, who made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game-largely thanks to their wise decision in the Draft to select Jayden Daniels. He had a spectacular year and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Now, the Commanders, along with the Philadelphia Eagles, are set to engage in a fierce battle for the NFC East. Although the Eagles crushed the Commanders in the playoffs, the team from the U.S. capital has taken a step forward and is now a true contender aiming for big things in 2025.
In 2025, Daniels completed 69% of his es for 3,568 yards, with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions during his rookie season. In the playoffs, he threw five touchdown es and only one interception-falling just short of reaching the Super Bowl.
Kliff Kingsbury Praised Jayden Daniels
Kingsbury, a known offensive specialist and now the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, is living a dream leading a true NFL star like Jayden Daniels.
"You can see that he already feels comfortable this year," Kingsbury said in his press conference. "I mean, just watching him move around, he's not thinking as much anymore, he's playing fast and letting his natural gifts take over-and that's exactly what we want to see."
On the other hand, Kingsbury hopes that, with help from the entire team, Daniels will continue to thrive in the same offense, even taking on decision-making responsibilities on certain plays.
"Yeah, it's huge," Kingsbury said about that factor. "Being able to take ownership of the system and understand it inside and out-to the point where he's correcting others, doesn't even need the coaches. And he's getting to that point."
So, it's expected that Jayden Daniels will take another leap and confirm what we saw from him last season. The Commanders' fan base is truly excited and hopes this doesn't turn out like a little over a decade ago, when Robert Griffin III was also Rookie of the Year but gradually faded away-mostly due to injuries.