The Commanders didn’t send any players to the Pro Bowl last season, posting a 4-13 record that left little cause for celebration. These aren’t the same old Commanders, though.
As they prepared for their bye week, eight Commanders were named top 10 vote-getters after the first round of Pro Bowl ballots.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is leading the charge for the 8-5 squad, receiving more votes than any other signal-caller in the NFC. He’s joined by wide receiver Terry McLaurin, center Tyler Biadasz, edge rusher Dante Fowler, safety Jeremy Chinn, special teams ace Jeremy Reaves and linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, who all ranked near the top of the NFL in their respective positions.
If Daniels finishes strong and heads to Orlando, Florida, for the Pro Bowl Games in February, he would be the first Washington quarterback to receive the honor since Kirk Cousins after the 2016 season.
But as the top vote-getter in the conference, Daniels is in even more rarified air. He could become the first rookie quarterback to start a Pro Bowl since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Daniels has spent the first 13 weeks of his NFL career saying that he isn’t a star, instead shifting praise to his coaches and teammates. The voting results are clear — fans aren’t buying it. Neither are the sportsbooks in Las Vegas, who have pegged the LSU product as the favorite to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award when the season ends.
The voting results aren’t a case of unchecked fandom, either. Daniels has the stats to back up the hype as his records keep piling up. He’s the first rookie passer with three or more games with a completion percentage above 80%. He’s also the only first-year quarterback to have two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games in NFL history.
With 2,819 passing yards and 21 total touchdowns, Washington’s rookie ranks fifth in ESPN’s quarterback rating metric.
For his efforts, Daniels has joined elite company in Pro Bowl voting. His AFC counterparts — Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen — are franchise quarterbacks and MVP candidates who have turned their teams into perennial playoff contenders.
The first returns from the Pro Bowl voting are emblematic of a new era for the Commanders. After years of cellar-dwelling and sending an occasional player to the all-star event, the new-look squad is in a playoff position and riding their best start since 1996 into a long-awaited bye week.
Before the Commanders tackle the final four games of the regular season and a potential postseason run, they’ll rest. After five months of regular practice, Washington’s players have a week to recharge before heading to New Orleans to face the Saints on Dec. 15.
“Pumped to give the team a break,” coach Dan Quinn said Monday. “As a young team, the needle was near empty.”
The players, young and old, said they had started to feel the wear and tear 13 weeks into the NFL season.
“I’m just going to chill,” said Wagner, 34, who is notorious for being one of the first players at the practice facility each morning. “I’m going to have one day where I just don’t set my alarm, and I’m going to see what happens. So I’m looking forward to that.”
Different players have different plans. Some catch up on their sleep, others relish in overdue family time, while a few — like Daniels — just want to sit on the couch and take their minds off football.
“I just like playing [video] games with my friends,” the potential Pro Bowl quarterback said. “Kind of just get away and be around people that have been knowing me all my life.”
While his players scatter, Quinn will be hard at work — mostly. In his first season in charge since he was with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, the 54-year-old noted that he needs time to reflect. Part of that process will involve spending time away from the gridiron.
“For the players, they need some space to find the things where they’re at, where they can get it better. And as a coach, I do too,” he said Monday. “This is my week to take a deeper dive into some areas. Where do we want to improve at?”
That’s only part of the bye-week plan, though. The players are coping with the physical toll of life in the NFL, but coaches relish the chance to disconnect after months of being hyper-focused on football.
“It’s just the mental fatigue. You want to make sure you come back as fresh and sharp with new ideas, with the standards that you want to have,” Quinn said, highlighting the value of the break with a month remaining in the regular season.
He said he expects his team to be ready for a playoff push when they return to practice next week.
After the bye, the Commanders will have a few weeks to impress NFL fans before Pro Bowl voting closes on Dec. 23. Then, on Dec. 27, the players and coaches will cast their ballots to decide who will represent the AFC and NFC on Feb. 2 in Orlando.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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