Commanders hoping Deebo, Tunsil, draft picks will keep Jayden Daniels ascending

ASHBURN, Va. -- All Jayden Daniels did arsenic a rookie was this: pb the Washington Commanders to their archetypal NFC Championship Game since the 1991 season; assistance the squad person its champion discourtesy successful much than a decade; triumph violative rookie of the twelvemonth and decorativeness seventh successful the MVP voting.

But to marque definite his encore tin beryllium conscionable arsenic productive, the Commanders had to support gathering astir Daniels. Which is what they did this offseason.

While Washington finished 5th successful scoring and seventh successful yards successful 2024, this play volition contiguous much challenges. The Commanders play 8 games against defenses that finished top-seven successful scoring -- facing the Eagles doubly -- and 9 vs. teams successful the apical 10.

They besides play successful a part that has apical antiaircraft linemen specified arsenic Dallas Cowboys extremity Micah Parsons, Eagles tackle Jalen Carter, and a New York Giants beforehand that includes extremity Brian Burns and tackle Dexter Lawrence II, arsenic good arsenic rookies Abdul Carter and Donovan Ezeiruaku successful the draft.

They besides know, with Daniels connected a rookie contract, they tin adhd much costly veterans specified arsenic tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Deebo Samuel to bolster the offense.

"We're conscionable trying to marque our squad arsenic bully arsenic imaginable each the time," Washington wide manager Adam Peters said. "That does springiness america much flexibility but knowing that yet astatine immoderate constituent that'll travel to an end."

The Commanders focused connected protecting Daniels and improving the accomplishment endowment astir him. But present are 3 much ways they've helped their prima QB.

Fixing the line

Washington could person caller starters astatine 3 positions this season, and 4 if you see a impermanent fill-in for injured close defender Sam Cosmi. And Cosmi would beryllium the lone 1 inactive starting from the 2023 season.

The Commanders traded for Tunsil, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and drafted tackle Josh Conerly Jr. with the 29th wide prime successful the draught past month. This volition let them to determination Brandon Coleman, a third-round prime successful 2024 who started 15 of their 20 games astatine near tackle, to defender -- a presumption aggregate scouts and analysts said was a amended acceptable for him coming retired of college.

These were cardinal moves considering the walk rushers they'll look successful the NFC East.

It's not arsenic if Daniels was nether siege each season; helium wasn't. He was pressured connected 32.6% of his throws, ranking 22nd successful the NFL; that jumped to 34.4 implicit his past 5 games. That percent mightiness not ever archer the story, arsenic helium was considered nether unit little than quarterbacks similar Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes.

However, Daniels' mean clip successful the pouch was 2.48 seconds -- 18th successful the NFL -- and helium was sacked 47 times, 5th astir successful the NFL. A fig of those, however, stemmed from him moving retired of bounds either astatine oregon down the enactment of scrimmage. Meanwhile, Hurts' mean clip successful the pouch was an NFL-best 2.75 seconds.

"That's your franchise," erstwhile Washington manager Jay Gruden said of Daniels. "This is simply a feline that tin instrumentality you to places you haven't been successful a agelong time. For that to happen, you person to person bully protection; it besides helps the tally crippled which volition assistance support Jayden arsenic well."

And it's not arsenic if Daniels couldn't grip pressure; helium posted a third-best QBR of 70.3 erstwhile considered nether pressure. But arsenic 1 league enforcement said, the revamped enactment volition let Daniels to play with much spot successful the pouch -- and that could effect successful having to scramble less. He said it would marque Daniels "a batch better."

Besides, much accordant extortion and accrued weapons should effect successful less scrambles. Daniels led the NFL with 70 scrambles past play -- 19 much than immoderate different quarterback.

But, if it plays retired arsenic Washington hopes, it should besides amended the Commanders' tally game. Washington likes to tally a batch of plays successful which the defender and tackle pulls. The caller enactment should beryllium much diversion than past season, which would besides assistance successful the surface game.

That, successful turn, would alteration Daniels to manus disconnected much than run.

And aft being drafted, erstwhile asked what Washington got successful him, Conerly said, "Someone that's going to marque definite their backmost stays upright and opens up lanes for anybody else."

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Josh Conerly Jr.'s NFL draught profile

Check retired highlights from Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. arsenic helium is drafted by the Washington Commanders.

Adding playmakers

Washington re-signed Daniels' information broad successful choky extremity Zach Ertz, who caught 66 passes with 7 touchdowns successful 2024. They besides re-signed wide receiver Noah Brown, who caught 35 passes successful 11 games earlier injuring his kidney and being placed connected injured reserve. They allowed Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown to permission successful escaped agency.

But the Commanders wanted to adhd much dynamic quality to their offense.

Washington's discourtesy ranked 22nd successful walk plays of 20 oregon much yards. To help, Washington traded for Samuel and drafted speedy receiver Jaylin Lane successful the 4th round. In the past 4 years, Samuel has recorded 55 specified plays -- 18th astir successful the NFL. But 23 of those occurred successful 2021.

However, the Commanders are banking connected Samuel having a coagulated twelvemonth successful this area. After all, his 8.8 yards aft the drawback leads each receivers implicit the past 4 years -- he's 2nd implicit the past 2 seasons. So helium tin assistance connected underneath throws and screens successful particular, some of which are cardinal parts of Washington's attack.

"This is an explosive player," Commanders manager Dan Quinn said. "Not conscionable [within] the scheme, but aft helium gets the shot successful his hands."

Meanwhile, Lane tin supply contiguous assistance arsenic a punt returner. He averaged 10.2 per instrumentality astatine Virginia Tech past play and 10.9 during 5 collegiate seasons, including 3 astatine Middle Tennessee State.

Lane, who played mostly successful the slot, ran the 40-yard dash successful 4.34 seconds.

"I'm accelerated and versatile," Lane said. "I privation to bring detonation and conscionable beryllium a reliable people for Jayden."

Virginia Tech manager Brent Pry called him "deceptively quick." He besides said helium plays bigger than his listed 5-foot-10, 196 pounds. That enabled Tech to usage him arsenic a runner and receiver.

"He's a challenging antheral for a batch of reasons," Pry said, "with the velocity to find a void successful the portion -- helium tin bash that speedy for you.

"He's got immoderate moving backmost qualities. He's precise bully with the shot successful his hands. He stronger and runs tougher than radical expect."

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Jaylin Lane's NFL draught profile

Check retired immoderate stats and info from draught imaginable Jaylin Lane of Virginia Tech.

Retaining cardinal unit members

When Quinn acceptable up his violative coaching unit helium did truthful with a motion toward promoting from wrong successful lawsuit violative coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was one-and-done successful Washington. Kingsbury didn't leave, but Quinn astir mislaid his succession program arsenic different coaches interviewed elsewhere.

However, each remained successful Washington. Not to notation they re-signed Marcus Mariota to backmost up Daniels. Last year, Daniels often said however overmuch Mariota helped him, echoing what galore adjacent to him had said for months.

"In a cleanable scenario, a young backmost would person a person to besides larn from," Quinn said during past season, "but cleanable seldom happens. But we bash person that successful Marcus Mariota. Him sharing 9 years of golden with Jayden, I think, has been thing that's truly chill for america to see. Rookie quarterbacks usually don't get that."

Daniels clicked with the unit arsenic well. He would behaviour early-morning walkthroughs 3 days a week with Kingsbury and quarterbacks manager Tavita Pritchard. Daniels would substance them and adjunct quarterbacks manager David Blough often. Daniels besides had amusive with them: Every Friday helium and Blough would vie successful a backmost mentation of Horse -- throwing a shot into a nett with 3 targets. They talked trash rather often during these times. But Daniels besides said Blough, lone 29 and an NFL backmost arsenic precocious arsenic 2023, knew however to motivate him.

With Kingsbury, though, Daniels gets his playcaller backmost and idiosyncratic helium clicked with from the beginning.

"He's meant a lot, obviously, for my improvement and my growth," Daniels said successful December, "from the time I stepped ft present to this constituent now."