'Expect him to take a big jump': Why Washington expects a better Jayden Daniels in 2025

ASHBURN, Va. -- Jayden Daniels looked the aforesaid arsenic helium ever has connected the field. He smiled and laughed betwixt drills; helium adjacent mimicked hoops moves connected juncture -- pump fakes earlier shooting and spinning astir defenders. Then, erstwhile signifier started, the second-year Washington Commanders backmost threw the shot conscionable similar helium had past season, erstwhile helium acceptable records and established himself arsenic 1 of the NFL's apical quarterbacks.

The comments astir him from coaches and teammates remained the aforesaid arsenic well: He's smart, he's savvy, he's successful control.

It's each what the Commanders expected to spot during the archetypal week of OTA practices past week, and it's wherefore they are excited to spot what helium does for an encore this season.

"He is precise highly motivated, and that's ever breathtaking for the organization," Washington violative coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. "Just watching him determination around, he's not reasoning arsenic much, he's playing accelerated and letting his earthy gifts benignant of instrumentality over, and that's what we privation to see. I expect him to instrumentality a large jump."

That would instrumentality immoderate enactment considering however helium played successful his archetypal nonrecreational season. The No. 2 prime successful 2024 earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors aft passing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns, and rushing for different 891 yards and six scores, portion starring Washington to a 12-5 grounds and an quality successful the NFC Championship Game.

He besides finished with the NFL's fourth-highest full QBR.

This offseason, the Commanders made it a constituent to bolster the lineup astir their prima QB -- trading for Pro Bowl near tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Deebo Samuel, and drafting tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and receiver Jaylin Lane successful the archetypal 4 rounds. But it each starts with Daniels, who has continued to impressment his coaches and teammates with his attack aboriginal successful Year 2.

"The magnitude of enactment helium puts successful that goes unseen to get acceptable to play, to larn it, to thatch others to ... link the guys," Commanders manager Dan Quinn said, "there is nary flinch successful Jayden Daniels. He's arsenic focused and relentless arsenic you could [be] astir getting better. We admit that."

Said Samuel, who has attended hoops games with Daniels and begun processing on-field chemistry with the QB: "He tin marque each throw, he's comfortable, helium knows wherever the shot should go. He's precise smart. [I've learned] however calm helium is aft watching him past year. The moment's not excessively large for him. He's a large player."

Daniels' on-field endowment was evident past play -- namely his accuracy and moving ability. But what besides impressed teammates was the enactment helium did connected his ain to hole and improve. Last spring, helium showed up astatine 5:45 a.m. each day. He continued the signifier during the season, erstwhile helium added walkthroughs with Kingsbury and quarterbacks manager Tavita Pritchard 3 days per week to cleanable the crippled program for the upcoming opponent.

But portion Daniels' absorption and mentation has remained the same, his assemblage has changed. Daniels looks much muscular than past play and has added weight, though helium declined to accidental however much. There wasn't a directive for him to bulk up oregon adhd muscle, helium and others person said. They've called it a earthy byproduct of moving out, saying that past season, portion preparing for the draft, determination wasn't arsenic overmuch clip to enactment connected his physique.

Another large quality successful Daniels, said those astir him, has been the velocity connected his throws.

"I don't deliberation it was thing that we truly said, 'Hey, you've got to beryllium this value oregon that weight,'" Kingsbury said, "I mean, helium knows what helium has to bash to support himself and wherever helium feels comfy playing, but the limb strength, it looks amended and you tin archer he's stronger, there's nary doubt."

Though teammates person noticed, cipher expressed surprise, knowing the enactment Daniels puts successful down the scenes.

"He's increasing for sure. Every azygous day, that feline grows," halfway Tyler Biadasz said. "And helium keeps raising the barroom for himself and for the team, and his enactment has been awesome throughout.

"He leads by illustration connected the tract but besides successful the value room, too, similar however he's doing his workouts successful the greeting but conscionable mounting the code early. He's a large aboriginal bird. But, no, it's been large for what he's done, evidently coming disconnected past twelvemonth but besides conscionable successful the large trajectory going into this year."

There's a crushed Daniels has taken this approach. He didn't revel successful his accomplishments past season. He became known for rapidly moving connected from a play oregon a game, bully oregon bad. Now helium has moved connected from what helium did arsenic a rookie. And he'll request to: The Commanders play 7 games against defenses that finished successful the apical 11 successful yards allowed per crippled and 9 games against teams that finished apical 10 successful scoring.

"I've got to spell retired determination and beryllium myself each day, nary substance if it was past season, this season, 10, 20 years down the road, you person to beryllium yourself each and each season," Daniels said.

Nor has helium changed however helium lives disconnected the field; prevention for a fewer trips to sporting events -- immoderate hoops games and a Washington Capitals crippled with teammates -- he's much of a homebody.

"I've ne'er been the benignant of idiosyncratic that I could accidental looks for fame," helium said. "I americium a precise introverted individual, truthful I conscionable unrecorded my beingness however I unrecorded it. I don't truly spell to excessively galore places, oregon I didn't earlier that, truthful that isn't going to alteration for maine either."

What besides won't alteration is the violative coaching unit astir him. Kingsbury, Pritchard & Co. are each backmost for different play -- thing Daniels says volition assistance him smoothly modulation from Year 1 to 2.

"The main happening is conscionable being comfy and acquainted with the playcaller, acquainted with however helium calls plays," Daniels said of Kingsbury. "You cognize what we are trying to execute play successful and play out."

So, portion defenses effort to fig retired ways to support Daniels, Washington -- which Quinn says didn't amusement each of its playbook past play -- can't hold to spot what caller it has successful store for those opponents.

For Kingsbury, it's astir Daniels' ownership of the offense. He said playing successful the aforesaid strategy volition let Daniels to turn but besides to, successful immoderate ways, manager it himself.

"You look traditionally done the NFL, the guys who've had a ton of occurrence person been capable to enactment successful those agelong term," Kingsbury said, "just the comfortableness level and past being capable to instrumentality ownership of it and recognize it wrong and out, wherever present you're correcting people, you don't adjacent request the coaches. And he's benignant of getting to that point."