OPINION:
These are some pretty impressive quotes from NFL veterans about a rookie Washington quarterback who has yet to play one down in an NFL game.
“There’s definitely a different feeling about this team,” one veteran said. “We know it’s going to be a process. We’re not going to expect (him) to be a top-five quarterback (right away). He has a lot of notoriety and deservedly so because of what he accomplished … he doesn’t carry himself like ’I’m a Heisman winner, they traded all these picks for me, I’m better than you guys.’ So it’s easy for guys to gravitate toward him for his demeanor.”
“He can make every throw, use his legs to extend a play,” another veteran said. “You feel like, ’We got him,’ and the play’s still going on. He brings that dynamic to the game, and we hate that as defensive players.
“I guess it all starts at quarterback. That’s what everybody always says. We finally got one that we feel like can hold his own against some of these other guys in the league. We got a chance to compete.”
People in Ashburn and throughout the NFL are singing the praises of Washington’s prized rookie signal-caller.
Well, at least they were, 13 years ago when Robert Griffin III had fans and teammates aflutter after a few OTAs.
More than a decade later, there’s a similar seasonal electricity in the air whenever Jayden Daniels steps onto Washington’s practice field.
“Jayden Daniels, not only did he have a very strong spring by all accounts, there is definitely buzz leaguewide, as I have talked to people this time of year about different players, big-picture items,” ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler said.
“I’ve talked to multiple scouts and executives who’ve brought up Daniels unprompted, like, ‘Hey, it’s kind of scary what Washington could be with Daniels because he’s got the running ability, but he’s more polished as a passer than a lot of running quarterbacks coming out of college.’ Really, the only knock on him right now is the offensive line. If they can get that shored up, Daniels could very well take off year one. That’s the expectation among a lot of people around the league.”
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr has predicted that Daniels will win the Rookie of the Year award.
That’s what they’re saying elsewhere. Here in Washington, it’s a little more muted. We’ve seen this show before, after all. It didn’t end well.
It didn’t end well for a lot of reasons beyond the torn knee ligaments that Griffin suffered at the end of his rookie season — one of which was that he didn’t turn out to be the young man everyone thought he was.
You could say for one season, the preseason predictions seemed to come true. But there were a lot of reasons for that as well, including the receiving support the team obtained that offseason to support the rookie quarterback.
Signing free agent Pierre Garcon was part of that effort to give the rookie some tools.
“The Redskins hope that with Garcon and (Josh) Morgan added to a group of wideouts that includes veteran holdover Santana Moss and second-year pro Leonard Hankerson, they’ve done enough to help Griffin thrive,” the Washington Post reported.
General manager Adam Peters didn’t feel the need to do that, standing pat with Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, signing 33-year-old tight end Zach Ertz, and adding receivers Ben Sinnott and Luke McCaffrey in the draft.
The benefit of Garcon’s presence for Griffin cannot be overstated. There is simply no sensational rookie season for the young quarterback without Garcon.
The veteran wideout caught four passes for 109 yards and one 88-yard touchdown catch in Washington’s 40-32 “shock and awe” season-opening win. Battling a foot injury, Garcon played in just eight more games that year, but Washington went 7-1 in those games. Without Garcon, Griffin’s record was 2-5.
They gave Griffin help. There were no such moves made for Daniels.
He may need it.
At LSU, Daniels had two of the best receivers in the country — Malik Nabers, selected sixth overall by the New York Giants, and Brian Thomas Jr., picked 23rd overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. At Arizona State, where Daniels struggled, it appears he had no such help, according to his mother, Regina Jackson, who, upon his transferring out of there, posted on social media, “You see the best quarterbacks, Tom Brady is not good without chemistry with his receivers. He’s going to put the ball there, but if they are running the wrong routes and if they are doing stuff, what is he supposed to do?”
There has been speculation that Daniels would like the Commanders to trade for his friend, San Francisco 49ers star receiver Brandon Ayuk (ironically, from Arizona State), who is at odds with the team over his contract.
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported there were some conversations at one point between the 49ers and Commanders, who he said “were interested, but they decided not to do that deal.”
It’s difficult to imagine the 49ers — Peters’ former team — trading away Ayuk when they are under the gun to win a Super Bowl with this squad.
It appears that Daniels will have to fulfill all those glorious expectations with the hand he’s been dealt.
• You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
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