In Week 1, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels displayed exactly why the Commanders selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Washington fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 37-20, but Daniels was among the few bright spots on offense.
The 23-year-old completed 17-of-24 passes for 184 yards, but his legs were a true difference maker, as he led the team with 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
While head coach Dan Quinn liked what he saw from his rookie quarterback, he still believes he must continue to improve one area of his game.
“Certainly not all of those are designed quarterback runs,” Quinn said. “We’d love to see him remain a passer first, and I think it’s going to come with more experience, honestly.”
It’s not surprising that Daniels leaned on his mobility in his regular-season debut after having similar success the past two years at LSU, where he rushed for 2,019 yards and 21 touchdowns.
In fact, his 88 rushing yards were the most by a rookie quarterback in a Week 1 debut in NFL history.
However, that also resulted in the Commanders wide receivers having underwhelming afternoons, as they combined for 55 total yards. No. 1 wide receiver Terry McLaurin finished the day with just two catches for 17 yards.
Quinn believes that must change if Washington hopes to get in the win column.
“I think if you’d asked him, there’ll probably be a few throws that he would either like to rip or where the progression may have taken him,” Quinn added. “So, missed opportunities. Those are the hard ones. I think the one to Terry to start the second half and those ones.”
That part of Daniels’ development will come with time and reps. So in the meantime, don’t be surprised if he continues using his legs more than Quinn would like.
Daniels must protect himself when he does decide to run with more chances to take unnecessary hits.
“I think you’ll see that trajectory continue as we go,” Quinn finished. “Certainly, 18 carries is not the model that we’re looking for, certainly with Brian (Robinson) and Austin (Ekeler) and others here. But at the end of it, I do think we’ll continue to grow in that spot. But certainly not by design to have that many.”
