We’ve heard Joe Theismann say on our Audacy DC airwaves that he didn’t think Jayden Daniels should play in the preseason – but he did, and he looked good on Saturday. So, what does Joe T. then think of what he saw from the No. 2 pick?
“I had a chance to see what Jayden did, and it’s incredible that we get all the hype, knew he had to be the pick, had the Heisman trophy and the way he played ball and everything that we've seen going up until this football game – and on the road in New York, which is a different experience, he comes out and he does some really, really special stuff, and you basically want to say to yourself as advertised,” Theismann said. “A very small sample, but I think it's enough to get us excited about his ability, and it’s a little bit of an indicator of what Kliff Kingsbury wants to do with this offense.”
The Commanders haven’t been a very vertical offense of late, which just isn’t the way to win, and so the dime he threw to Dyami Brown on that check-off play was especially impressive to Joe. But, so was what Jayden showed with his legs in limited moments, too.
“You look at the running play when he went into the end zone, you see how that defense was playing very, very careful in a sense,” BMitch said to Joe, “which I think is gonna make other defenses have to be concerned about the ability for him to do that as well.”
“You really have to; the thing about having the ability to run, it's the threat by itself that creates opportunities, and that's exactly what Jayden is able to do,” Joe replied. “The read option is something that's become a big part of football over the last few years, and you need someone with that athletic ability, but the think you have to temper with a young guy is knowing when, and when not, to run. That is something I’ve noticed with him: he has great pocket discipline and is not in a hurry to get out of there. They're gonna call running plays for him to be able to use his legs, which is great, and he's gonna be smart about it. That's the big thing: he has to be smart about running.”
And the capper was Joe reiterating something he said on Audacy DC air last week:
“I want to see him stay healthy and play 17 games, because each week he lines up, he’s going to learn more, and he’s going to get better,” Joe said. “A lot of guys have to learn how to be professionals, but Jayden comes in knowing how to be a professional. He’s played on the big stage, won the Heisman Trophy, and understands what this stage is all about – and he embraces it.”