It’s been a good week for Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Through three training camp practices, Daniels has looked the part of the No. 2 overall pick, showing off his accuracy, arm strength and mastery of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.
Daniels and Marcus Mariota have split first-team reps, but Daniels is the one who looked like the seasoned veteran.
On Friday, head coach Dan Quinn gave an update on Daniels’ progress.
“Outstanding,” Quinn answered.
Daniels also met with the media Friday and was asked if he was frustrated that the Commanders haven’t named him the starting cornerback yet. He was unfazed.
“No, I like competing; I’m a competitor,” Daniels answered. “So, regardless of if I was announced the starter or not, you still got to compete. You still can’t be content with your job, comfortable, think it’s just your job, and seal the deal. You got to go out there and compete.”
While Daniels is on track to be the team’s starter, Quinn is not changing the franchise’s timeline in his development.
“I think, one, we have an effective plan for him, and Jayden’s the type of guy that wants to go nail it, in terms of each day each marker to go,” Quinn said. “But we’re really going to stay true to this. We have a really good plan, and what’s fun about it is he’s the type of person that wants to nail this part.”
Washington has a plan? This really is a new organization. Every time the franchise drafted a young quarterback in the past, they ruined him with entitlement before he ever took a snap. That’s not going to happen with Daniels. And Daniels is the type of person and player who wants to earn it. That’s a rare trait.
Dainels’ first NFL training camp could not have gotten off to a better start.