Washington Commanders fans know the value of patience. They have been waiting out an uncertain and underwhelming quarterback situation for a while now. They are ready for rookie Jayden Daniels to usher in a new era and will therefore tolerate the inevitable growing pains that come during the 2024-25 NFL season.
The thing is, though, the Heisman Trophy winner himself does not appear to be a patient man. While it is only preseason, Daniels is firing up his fan base in his first brush of game action with the Commanders. In Saturday's matchup against the New York Jets, he announced his arrival in quite the exciting manner.
On third-and-6 from his own 34-yard line, Daniels linked up with wide receiver Dyami Brown for a 42-yard reception. The 23-year-old QB made his first completion count, putting his team in prime position to score. He let running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler chew up some yards and then finished off the drive with a nice fake handoff to Ekeler and three-yard rushing touchdown. That is how you make a first impression.
Daniels' afternoon ends with him completing two of his three pass attempts for 45 yards. Although it was a minuscule sample size in an exhibition game, he aced this warm-up exam. Fans wanted to see him display poise and preparedness. He took it up a notch and provided them with a couple of memorable highlights.
The NFL world is responding. “Seriously, that first drive could not have gone better for the No. 2 overall pick with all the hype,” NBC4 Washington's JP Finlay posted on X, formerly Twitter. “What a start for Jayden Daniels' NFL career.”
It is a job well done for the former LSU Tigers star. He further endeared himself to Washington fans by paying tribute to Super Bowl 22 MVP Doug Williams before the game and then had them all wearing heart eyes once the action on the field started. “Commanders fans are crying real tears,” Barstool Sports posted after Daniels' bomb to Brown.
He exhibited the same confidence in his arm that he did in Baton Rouge last season, and it paid off on Saturday. There are obviously still plenty of questions that Daniels will need to answer with his play when the regular season starts, but he is off to a promising start.
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