Can Jayden Daniels Avoid The Sophomore Slump 4for4

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 10:20 AM

can jayden daniels avoid the sophomore slump 4for4

Since 2011, there have been just 18 instances where an offense went an entire game without punting or turning the ball over. Only four QBs have pulled this off twice: Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, and Jayden Daniels. Even more impressive? Daniels is the only one to do it twice in the same season. Click here for more 2025 Player Profiles! Under Kliff Kingsbury, Daniels and the Commanders consistently found ways to keep the offense on the field.

Washington led the league in plays per drive last year, thanks in part to an incredible 81.3% conversion rate on fourth down (20/23 in the regular season and 6/9 in the playoffs). Even if that number regresses toward the mean, it doesn’t change the identity of this offense. The Commanders didn’t just react to defenses, they imposed their own tempo and style. Daniels’ preparation habits offer a glimpse into how he processes the game. Dating back to his LSU days, he’s been training with virtual reality at 1.75x speed to simulate different scenarios. The result?

The game slows down for him on Sundays. In the 2024 offseason, NFL teams selected six quarterbacks in the first 12 picks of the draft, by far the most ever. As rookies, these passers had their ups and downs. One carried his team to the NFC championship game. One nearly set the record for sacks taken in a season. One never got a chance to play due to an injury.

Where do these players stand going into year two? Is this group still set to change the league—or were NFL teams overzealous when they drafted these guys back in April of last year? Welcome to Sophomore QB Week at The Ringer. This week, we’re breaking down the play and futures of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix. Today, we’re looking at Daniels, who won the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award after his standout season in Washington.

Since 2001, 103 quarterbacks have attempted at least 100 passes as rookies. Of those rookie passers, just 10 have netted at least 50 expected points added for their teams. And of those 10, just two have improved on their EPA totals in their second seasons. Seven were worse as sophomores. The final quarterback in that sample is to be determined. That’s Jayden Daniels, Washington’s superstar passer who is looking to avoid the dreaded “sophomore slump” in 2025.

But here’s the good news for Daniels: Sophomore slumps aren’t real. Quarterbacks of all levels of experience tend to do worse following a great season, not just sophomores. That small sample above shows seven out of nine elite rookies declining in their second year—similar to what we see from veterans coming off big seasons. Since 2001, 271 quarterbacks have totaled 50 EPA or more for their teams. Of the 249 of those QBs who went on to attempt at least 100 passes in their next season, 179 have seen their EPA numbers decline—71.9 percent. Dive a little deeper into the numbers, and a similar pattern emerges.

Rookie quarterbacks who totaled more than 50 dropback EPA declined by an average of 31.8 EPA in their subsequent seasons. All QBs who totaled more than 50 EPA in one season saw an average decline of 33.1 EPA the next. Break these samples down into a few EPA cohorts—I’m choosing above 50 EPA, zero to 50 EPA, negative-50 to zero EPA, and below negative-50 EPA—and the pattern of decline/improvement is remarkably consistent: Jayden Daniels heads into the 2025 season coming off an incredible rookie campaign. In his first season, Daniels led the Washington Commanders to the NFC championship game for the first time in decades, excelled in the clutch by throwing multiple game-winning touchdown passes, and set the rookie... He proved unfazed by the moment, whether it was throwing a Hail Mary to defeat the Chicago Bears or taking down the No.

1 seeded Detroit Lions in the postseason. Daniels proved he can succeed in the NFL, but also set a high bar for himself going forward. Daniels isn't just expected to replicate what he accomplished his rookie season, but to build off that near unprecedented success for a rookie. That can be challenging, especially when a number of great rookies deal with a sophomore slump after their first NFL season. The positive for Daniels is he doesn't appear to get affected by outside pressure easily. On top of this, Daniels is working to combat facing a slump in his second year in the pros, including by eliminating some of his bad tendencies as a quarterback.

“I’m sitting down and watching film and trying to eliminate some tendencies, as much as possible,” Daniels told Yahoo Sports's Jori Epstein. “Talking to the coaching staff on areas that they feel like I need to improve on and having conversations so we can all hit at full speed.” Fortunately for Daniels, he seems to be surrounded by a strong coaching staff on the Commanders that were key to helping him thrive as a rookie. Ahead of his rookie season, the Commanders helped him become elite at reading and processing defenses by using virtual reality technology. Now, Washington can turn the focus to getting rid of his tendencies and addressing any other key areas he can improve, which should only make him harder to defend. Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels orchestrated one of the best rookie campaigns in NFL history last season.

Daniels led the team from the depths of their division all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Already, Daniels is generating the buzz of a top 10 quarterback and some are ready to anoint him among the league's best. It's a short sample size certainly but it is difficult to argue with the results he put out in year one. However, many great players that have come before him have felt the same highs before a slide in their second season. Dak Prescott and Saquon Barkley, both faces of Washington's most staunch NFC East rivals, can share their own experiences with regression, or "sophomore slump." Daniels wants to avoid that entirely and is taking the steps to ensure that he not only continues his success from year one, but builds upon it to become a better player.

"I'm sitting down and watching film and trying to eliminate some tendencies, as much as possible," he explained to Yahoo Sports. "Talking to the coaching staff on areas that they feel like I need to improve on and having conversations so we can all hit at full speed." Jayden Daniels has been one of the few quarterbacks to get selected and showcase his talents right away, as he dominated from the jump and led the Washington Commanders to an NFC Championship Game. That was a huge leap for a team that hadn’t posted a winning record in eight years. Daniels stepped up in a big way, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year after completing 331 of 480 passes (69.0%) for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran 148 times for 891 yards (6.0 yards per carry) and six rushing touchdowns.

Now, the challenge is meeting those lofty expectations, as many rookies hit a sophomore slump in Year 2. We saw that with Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud last season, who had a bit of a down year. But Daniels is determined to go above and beyond this offseason to avoid that in 2025. Daniels has shown that he can keep rising to the moment—he never slowed down during the season or in the playoffs. The game never looked too fast, and the spotlight never seemed too bright.

In an interview with Yahoo Sports senior reporter Jori Epstein, Daniels said he’s focused on avoiding the dreaded slump. “I’m sitting down and watching film and trying to eliminate some tendencies, as much as possible. Talking to the coaching staff on areas that they feel like I need to improve on and having conversations so we can all hit at full speed.” After last season’s impressive record, Jayden Daniel has become a staple name in the NFL world. His most talked-about dual-threat ability mixed with accuracy has made the Commanders’ offense the talk of the town last season. But situations seem different this season.

Many quarterbacks call into a sophomore slump before him. The question is whether Daniel is breaking the pattern or slowly slipping into it. Let’s take a look. A sophomore slump is the situation when a player’s second season doesn’t seem brighter than their rookie season. For Jayden, the bar couldn’t be higher; in the past season, the champion had a stunning performance, accumulating 3568 passing yards and an incredible 25 touchdowns. Plus, he has 900 rushing yards with 100.1 passing yards.

Due to his stellar performance, the champion became the Offensive Rookie of the Year last season, sparking high hopes for the Commanders down the line. However, this season isn’t going in his favor. His record includes 1,031 passing yards with eight touchdowns. Followed by one interception with a 61% completion rate. The numbers are still good, but on a slight downside compared to his rookie season. This might result from his hamstring injury; his offensive coordination seemed dull then.

For which he was sidelined against the Dallas Cowboys and has been ruled out from Monday Night Football against the Chiefs in Week 8. Still, Daniels is reading the ball better. An analyst from ESPN said: “It’s a tricky situation. The shine’s still there, but cracks are showing under pressure.” So far, Jayden Daniels is trying to avoid the sophomore slump by battling his injuries without losing his edge.

The league may have adjusted, but the champion hasn’t backed down. He is trying his best to prove his caliber. But he may enter the slump pattern if he can’t manage to be in his form. Keep watching to get such exciting updates. Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels steps into his second NFL season with high expectations, but history proves he should embrace the challenge rather than fear a slump. Critics often warn of the dreaded sophomore slump for young quarterbacks, yet some of the league’s most dynamic playmakers have turned year two into the launchpad of their greatness.

Can Jayden Daniels Avoid The Sophomore Slump 4for4

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