One of the biggest surprises of the 2024 NFL season so far is the Washington Commanders, who were expected to finish near the bottom of the NFC this year, but find themselves with a 4-1 record through five weeks. Head coach Dan Quinn has his players competing at a high level, and new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is showing that he wasn’t the problem in Arizona in terms of his play calling.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the incredibly high-level of play from their rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels. The No. 2 overall pick in this last draft out of LSU, Daniels won the Heisman Trophy last year for the Tigers. We all knew that he had a ton of talent, as any player drafted that high has huge expectations on them right away, but few players are able to perform the way Daniels has to this point.
Not only is he the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, but his name is even circling around MVP waters right now. It isn’t without merit either. Daniels has thrown for 1,135 yards and four touchdowns, including 300 yards on the ground with an additional four scores. He’s been an elite two-way player that can rip a defense through the air and on the ground.
However, a lot of attention has been paid to his incredible completion percentage to this point. Daniels has completed 101-of-131 pass attempts, for a 77.1% completion percentage through five games. What is even more remarkable is how many of his passes have been catchable balls. Jake Tribbey from Fantasy Points pointed out a pretty incredible stat for the rookie signal-caller: “Jayden Daniels' catchable throw rate is 85%, the highest of any QB since at least 2021.”
Notice how he didn’t say rookie QB, but ANY QB since 2021. He’s been the most accuarte passer we have seen in a couple of years, and he has played just five games. It is hard to imagine someone being that good immediately, but here we are. I think at least some credit has to go to Kingsbury as well, who has helped his young star with his playcalling, and supported his strengths.
The biggest test yet for the Commanders will be this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens in the Beltway Battle. How incredible would it be if he was to go into M&T Bank Stadium and defeat the reigning MVP Lamar Jackson? Fans in Washington would go insane, but I think that they already have with how Daniels has played in the early going.
I don’t think Daniels will be able to keep this kind of play up for the entire season, and at some point, he is going to have a bad game. It is inevitable, in my opinion. However, that doesn’t take away from the kind of start he has had. There is no doubt he is on the fast track to being one of the best in the league, and the Commanders could make the playoffs as a result of his play.
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