Just a year ago, the Washington Commanders were the No. 6 seed in the NFC and stunned the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions to make a run to the NFC title game. Ultimately, they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, who went on to win the Super Bowl, but there was plenty of hope for Washington going forward.
This year has been much different as the Commanders are now 3-10, and quarterback Jayden Daniels has dealt with injuries that have limited him to just seven games.
ESPN's Dan Graziano weighed in on some issues that have surfaced with Daniels in his second year in the NFL.
“They brought him back from a left elbow injury Sunday against Minnesota, and in that game, he hurt his left elbow again. Some have suggested resting Daniels for the remainder of a lost season in which he has already missed time with three separate injuries, though what the team and Daniels have said publicly so far indicates that he will play if healthy. We'll see if the thinking changes,” Graziano wrote.
At this point, the Commanders' playoff hopes are essentially done, and resting him to be fully healthy next year could make sense. At the same time, Graziano says that the Commanders aren't doing the young QB many favors with the way the offense is being called.
“There are people around the league who think Washington isn't doing Daniels a lot of favors with the amount of no-huddle offense and the sheer number of plays the Commanders run in games, though that might be an outdated critique. Washington ran the fifth-most offensive plays of any team in 2024. This season, it has run the 23rd-most, but it also hasn't been as successful on offense, so time of possession is way down, too,” he added.
Another glaring issue is Daniels' style of play, per Graziano.
“Some also feel there's a discussion Washington needs to have about how much it is exposing Daniels to potential contact with designed runs on first down. But a leaner quarterback who came into the league with concerns about taking too many big hits might benefit from a change in philosophy, regardless of whether the Commanders shut him down for the rest of this season or not.”
Whether or not that changes going forward remains to be seen, but all in all, there is plenty of concern for Daniels now and going forward after an impressive rookie season in the NFL.
