Kevin Sheehan: Jayden Daniels playing like an elite NFL quarterback right now
Jayden Daniels throwing for 233 yards and a touchdown with only four incompletions from 30 attempts – with another 47 yards rushing and a touchdown – in a 42-14 win over the Cardinals was "almost as impressive" as the Monday night win over the Bengals, Kevin Sheehan said, but still, a huge sign that the Washington Commanders rookie QB is showing he is already an impressive NFL player.
"Not a good team, the Cardinals, but not a team that you're supposed to beat 42-14 unless you yourself are a good team and right now Washington is, certainly on offense," Sheehan said. "And that's because they have what you have to have in the NFL to be taken seriously as a contender... A contender? Did I say a contender? A quarterback! That's what they have. Look, they might not be a contender for it all as we speak [now].
"But it has become, I think, rather clear that they have the piece that you must have and that is the quarterback. What's the saying? He him, as the kids say. He's him!"
Of course, Sheehan knows – like he said last week – that there is still too small of a sample size to make any big declarations when it comes to Daniels' potential, but ... "I'm gonna say it anyway."
"Jayden Daniels looks like an elite NFL quarterback right now," Sheehan said. "I'm not saying he is the best quarterback in the league right now, but he looks like he might be one of the best in the league right now. He's certainly playing like one of the best.
"His start to his career – four games – ... has been historic. But because he's been so good and because more importantly he's led his team to three wins in a row, and into sole possession of first place in the NFC East he has literally in this short month given an entire franchise and – by the way an almost fractured and lost fanbase – a jolt of confidence and hope that has been so desperately needed."
'Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things.'
"Oh my god the offense and the quarterback," Sheehan exclaimed as he continued his thought. "We haven't seen anything like this in a long, long time. He is playing at such a high level, not [just] for a rookie, I mean for anybody. I mean, who's actually playing the position better than Jayden Daniels right now?"
Sheehan added: "He is legitimately in the conversation for the league MVP. Not offensive rookie of the year, which he's now a prohibitive favorite to win. He's in the conversation for league MVP."
Jim Brown, if you were curious, in 1957 was the last and only rookie to win an NFL MVP.
"We've checked the too-early box, four games, small sample size, got it," he said. "Our eyes are not deceiving us though. He's playing at such a high level."
