Jayden Daniels Shares Strategy To Avoid Sophomore Slump After

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 6:16 AM

jayden daniels shares strategy to avoid sophomore slump after

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. 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.” Much of the talk around Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels this offseason centered on the potential for a sophomore slump after a rookie campaign for the ages. It didn't take long to put these fears firmly to rest. Daniels was out to make an early statement against the New York Giants.

A sold-out crowd at Northwest Stadium was expecting to see great things from the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. When offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury switched to a no-huddle offense on the second drive, they got it. This plays to Daniels' strengths. He's a quick processor who does everything well. He's in complete control under center, and the added experience of Kingsbury's schematic concepts served him well. Daniels marched Washington downfield.

There were notable contributions from running back Austin Ekeler throughout, but the dynamic dual-threat signal-caller led the charge with his customary poise and precision. His deep ball to Chris Moore, who was elevated from the practice squad, was a thing of beauty. Daniels recognized pressure quickly and escaped the pocket. He kept his eyes downfield and delivered a strike. The veteran wide receiver had some problems with drops in the preseason, but he made this chance count. <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-987544046 size-full lazyload" src="https://i0.wp.com/twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7860.jpeg?resize=1024%2C576&quality=89&ssl=1" alt="Jayden Daniels" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7860.jpeg 1024w, https://twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7860-980x551.jpeg 980w, https://twsn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7860-480x270.jpeg 480w" sizes="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw"...

Jayden Daniels took over the NFL by storm during his rookie campaign. Not only did he play at a historical level individually, but he also led the Washington Commanders to the NFC Conference Championship. Analysts and scouts knew that Daniels was an experienced, talented quarterback throughout his college career, but there were serious questions about his weight and play style at the next level. Could he stay healthy and utilize the unique skill set that makes him so distinctive? In 2024, Jayden Daniels delivered one of the greatest rookie seasons by a quarterback in NFL history. As he heads into his second year, expectations are sky-high, but one question looms large: Will Daniels fall victim to the dreaded sophomore slump?

TWSN’s Top 100 Players Ahead Of 2025 NFL Season 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: 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 had a sensational rookie season when he unexpectedly led the Washington Commanders to a playoff berth and a trip to the NFC Championship Game, and fans are on cloud nine as far... However, it is entirely possible that Daniels will have a sophomore slump, just as C.J. Stroud did for the Houston Texans, especially now that opposing defensive coordinators will have a full season’s worth of video to use to prepare to play against him. One ESPN analyst said that self-analysis will be the key for Daniels to avoid that slump and build on what he did as a rookie. “For me, it’s gotta be up to Jayden Daniels, it’s gotta be up to (offensive coordinator) Kliff Kingsbury and the entire coaching staff to say, ‘Hey Jayden, I understand how excellent we were, but... Stroud, we’re gonna work on some of those little things,'” Sam Acho said, via NFL on ESPN.

"In order to not have that slump like we saw with C.J. Stroud, we're gonna work on some of those little things."@TheSamAcho on the Commanders preventing a Jayden Daniels sophomore slump 👀 pic.twitter.com/q4KEZalMVm 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.

Jayden Daniels Shares Strategy To Avoid Sophomore Slump After

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