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Commanders Should Not Be Worried About Jayden Daniels Sophomore Regres

Bonisiwe Shabane
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commanders should not be worried about jayden daniels sophomore regres

Even after coming off a strong rookie campaign, Jayden Daniels doesn’t feel the pressure heading into his second season as the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback. After leading Washington to 12 wins, its best since 1991, one might expect Daniels to be weighed down by expectations. But for the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, it’s the opposite. Coaches and teammates have described his demeanor as calm, cool, and collected, and that's just how he feels entering Year 2. “Nah, me not personally, no. Not at all,” Daniels said when asked if he feels pressure this season.

“You still have to go out there, prove each and every year.” That’s exactly what Washington will have to do to silence the noise. This offseason, there’s been plenty of speculation about whether the Commanders can replicate last year’s success and whether Daniels can avoid the dreaded “sophomore slump.” Critics have often drawn comparisons to former Washington quarterback... Daniels, though, isn’t paying attention to outside talk. “People could have expectations, they could say you could do this or hope you fail and do that,” Daniels said. “I mean, it really doesn’t matter.”

The Commanders are doing their job to avoid the “sophomore slump”. The common belief is that when a quarterback plays well during his first NFL season, he will most of the time fall back into the league's fold. As a result, there is always talk of this “sophomore slump” for young NFL quarterbacks. How does this apply to the Commanders’ Jayden Daniels? Well, one thing overlooked in these discussions is the return of Commanders’ offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury was the perfect supervisor for the former LSU Heisman Trophy winner.

His creativity, variety, and penchant for having Daniels get rid of the ball early paid off big time. When Daniels was out two games, the offense did not seem to miss a beat, as veteran Marcus Mariota played quite well in wins against the Panthers and Cowboys. Despite the fact that the Commanders' running game was really hurting down the stretch, Kingsbury knew enough to keep the Commanders' offense moving the ball in playoff wins at Tampa Bay and Detroit. Jayden Daniels might be able to recover from injury in time to play again for the Commanders this season. That does not mean Washington should allow their franchise quarterback back on the field during the 2025 campaign. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has the report that Daniels will not need surgery to repair his injured elbow.

That revelation opens up the door for the young signal-caller to return at some point before the end of the regular season. Clearly, Washington's chances of winning games go up when their No. 1 quarterback is able to line up under center. None of that changes the reality that Washington currently owns an ugly record of 3-6. That puts them 3.5 games behind the Eagles in the division and comfortably outside of a Wild Card place in the NFC. To put it bluntly, the Commanders' chances of earning a postseason berth this year are minimal.

This is especially true if they're forced to play a few more key games with Marcus Mariota taking snaps. That's why the higher-ups in Washington need to step in and do what's best for their franchise quarterback's long-term health. It's time for the front office to put Daniels on the shelf for the rest of the year. It's far more important to make sure Daniels gets fully healthy this offseason than to rush him back into action for a meaningless game or two at the end of this season. Keeping Daniels on the shelf until 2026 would also give the Commanders a chance to build a better offensive ecosystem around him. Trading for Laremy Tunsil gave his offensive line a big boost, but rookie Josh Conerly needs more reps before he's a quality option at the other tackle spot.

It might also be advisable for Washington to look for better options at guard through free agency or next year's draft. 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.” Yes, Jayden Daniels and Robert Griffin III have some similarities. But their situations are completely different. Kevin Jairaj / Getty Images The hearts of Washington Commanders fans jumped into their throats Sunday seeing quarterback Jayden Daniels writhing in pain and grabbing his right leg immediately after being sacked by the Dallas Cowboys.

Like a tidal wave, the nearly 13-year-old images of brighter days gone dark flooded many a mind: Prized quarterback Robert Griffin III lying on the mangled FedEx Field turf during a game he had... And Sunday wasn’t the first triggering moment for the burgundy and gold faithful. Despite the growing collection of highlights that Daniels — the No. 2 pick of the 2024 draft and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year — has delivered in the last season and a half, every stumble, bump and bruise sparks panic in the mind of... “No, not again,” they shriek in fear that Daniels is headed down the same path as Griffin, who, after blowing out his knee at the end of his rookie season, never recaptured his superhero... In the first game of his sophomore season at Cajon High, Jayden Daniels lunged for a fumble and fractured the pinkie finger on his throwing hand.

You wouldn’t have known that by reading the local newspapers in San Bernardino, California, or perhaps even by watching him play. The broken digit hurt his accuracy, and his passing statistics dipped. But Daniels, 15 at the time, never missed a start. The Washington Commanders and superstar rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels were the toast of the league last season. The Heisman Trophy winner had one of the all-time great seasons for a first-year player, winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year while leading his team to a 12-5 record and an appearance in... No one saw last season coming after the Commanders won four games the prior year.

For Daniels, it vaulted him straight into the conversation among the league's other elite passers. There is one downside to all of that. Increased expectations. Now that Daniels has set such a high standard early on, there will be no more room for patience as he continues to grow. Therefore, some around the league believe he is fated to disappoint in 2025. An anonymous executive compared the hype following Daniels' rookie season to that surrounding the Houston Texans signal-caller C.J.

Stroud a year ago, when the Ohio State product conducted a similar turnaround. The AFC South club went from three wins in 2022 to 10 in 2023. They won a playoff game and were projected to take the next step into Super Bowl contention last time around. The Washington Commanders arguably altered the trajectory of the franchise when they selected former LSU star and Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels, with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Daniels guided the Commanders to one of their best seasons in decades, leading the team to a 12-5 mark during the regular season before a run to the NFC Championship.

After finishing just one game short of a Super Bowl appearance, Washington has tried to make the necessary moves to be in a position to win it all next fall. READ MORE: Commanders sign rookie camp tryout player to the 90-man roster So far this offseason, the Commanders have made a pair of trades, bringing in left tackle Laremy Tunsil from the Houston Texans and wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers. The pair of veterans should only boost an offense that ranked top-10 in yards and top-5 in scoring last season. With that being said, Washington will go as far as Daniels takes them. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year turned plenty of heads in year one.

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