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Cowboys Legend Delivers Strong Statement On Commanders Jayden Daniels

Bonisiwe Shabane
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cowboys legend delivers strong statement on commanders jayden daniels

Since ending his rookie season on a high note — leading the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship, helping the franchise finish 12-5 (their best record in 30 years), and breaking nearly every rookie... Sports fans and critic are wondering what Daniels will do next. But former NFL star Dez Bryant isn't here for the doubts. His take? "Jayden Daniels is here to stay. Nothing about how he plays the game of football shows he's a one-hit wonder."

Bryant's comments come on the heels of a recent episode of Funky Fridays with Cam Newton, where Newton and rapper Wale discussed the rookie sensation. The former NFL MVP floated the idea that Daniels could become a "one-hit wonder." That idea isn't baseless, given the franchise's history. The franchise once had a second-round quarterback who took the team to the NFC Championship as a rookie, only to see Robert Griffin III career derailed by injuries and setbacks. But Wale, a proud D.C. native and diehard Commanders fan, pushed back.

He argued that Daniels is different, pointing to his undeniable love for the game. Last season, one of the biggest storylines in the NFC was the instant breakout from Jayden Daniels. Following an impressive rookie campaign with the Washington Commanders, the young QB continues to receive praise from his peers. After being taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft, the Commanders wasted no time putting Daniels in a starting role. This proved to be a smart decision, as he quickly altered the trajectory of the franchise.

Along with throwing for over 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns, Daniels led Washington all the way to the NFC Championship game. Coming off such a strong first year in the NFL, the hype around Daniels has quickly skyrocketed. Among the most recent people to give him his flowers is a star-level talent within his own division. Also read: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Named Top Standout Among his Peers Earlier this week, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs linked up with viral streamer N3on. During his appearance, he was posed with the question of naming his top five quarterbacks in the NFL right now.

The Washington Commanders have the best quarterback in NFC East, if you believe longtime NFL cornerback Fred Smoot. Smoot, who spent seven of his nine NFL seasons in Washington, recently called Jayden Daniels the top quarterback in the Commanders’ division. Daniels, of course, won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year last season and led the Commanders to a 12-5 record and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. A year before at LSU, he won the Heisman Trophy, which is what landed him with the Commanders at the No. 2 overall pick. Daniels finished with a 69.0 completion percentage and 25-9 touchdown-to-interception rate.

He also led all QBs with 822 passing yards and five touchdowns in the playoffs, even though the Commanders lost 55-23 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the conference-title game. Even though the Commanders QB was the breakout star of 2024, Daniels is being judged against the reigning Super Bowl champion quarterback Jalen Hurts. That is because the Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is coming off a serious injury and the New York Giants have a revolving door at quarterback. Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels caught the attention of the entire NFL in 2024. No one expected the second-overall draft pick to come out in such a fierce way; in fact, most thought he'd need further development before he made an impact. But that's not what happened at all.

Daniels showed everyone what he can really do, what he didn't do at LSU because he wasn't asked to, what Dan Quinn and Adam Peters saw in him through all the pre-draft meetings and... Daniels blew everyone out of the water last year, and while many expect a bit of a slide in year two, no one is taking away that he will eventually be an MVP in... Even Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, a division rival, ranks Daniels in his top five quarterbacks. "My top five QBs?" Diggs replies, "I'm gonna go with Dak (Prescott), Aaron Rodgers, Jayden Daniels - there's no order - (Patrick) Mahomes, Lamar (Jackson), and I gotta put C.J. (Stroud) in there." There are pauses in between each name he says, and there are obviously six quarterbacks there, not five.

It's no surprise that Prescott was the first name he said, that is his quarterback. But he also says that he didn't name them in any particular order, so who knows what that would have looked like. What Commanders' fans need to take away from this, though, is that players around the league have taken notice of Daniels. They see him, they know what he is capable of, and they know how good he is still going to be in the future. Division rivalry or no, this is solid praise from a player who desires nothing more than to beat the Commanders into the ground twice a year, every year. The Washington Commanders may have found their next star under center, and that belief is extending beyond team headquarters.

In a recent interview, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs shared his list of top quarterbacks in the NFL today. To the surprise of many, Diggs included Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in his Top 5, placing him alongside MVPs and Super Bowl champions. The mention is a clear sign that Daniels is already earning league-wide respect. READ MORE: Commanders owner buys record-breaking Jayden Daniels rookie card #Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs ranks Jayden Daniels in his top 5 current QBs in the NFL (🎥:@N3onOnYT) pic.twitter.com/V6aZLozX1e Jayden Daniels’ rookie season captured the imagination of Washington Commanders fans but also former Commanders greats as well.

Joe Theismann, the longtime Washington quarterback who guided the team to two Super Bowls, including the championship in Super Bowl XVII, shared his appreciation for Daniels recently. After years of misery in the nation’s capital, the Commanders went 12-5 and advanced to the NFC Championship Game with Daniels at the helm. The No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft completed 69 percent of his passes and threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while only throwing nine interceptions. Yet, according to Theismann, the exceptional numbers only tell part of the story. Theismann is Washington’s most prolific passer, since he holds the franchise lead for yards (25,206) and boasted a 77-47 record in his 167 games.

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