Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has impressed everyone since arriving in the NFL in April. Teammates and coaches praised Daniels’ talent and preparation off the field.
Daniels has had an excellent training camp. After splitting first-team reps with veteran Marcus Mariota early in camp, Daniels began to take the majority of those reps in the second week of camp and hasn’t looked back.
In his first preseason game against the New York Jets, Daniels played one drive, completed two of three passes for 45 yards, including a dime to wide receiver Dyami Brown, and finished the drive with a touchdown run.
You couldn’t have scripted a better debut.
This week, the Commanders had their second joint training camp practice, this time with the Miami Dolphins. How would Daniels do against Miami?
Daniels was terrific, throwing multiple touchdowns before former Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller intercepted him to end practice. Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin fell on the route.
Reporters in attendance who cover the Dolphins were impressed.
Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network was present during Friday’s practice and offered the following analysis:
“Came away very impressed watching Jayden Daniels Thursday against that Dolphins defense; he saw a lot of exotic blitz looks and really looked comfortable and in control,” Wolfe said. “Now, Miami didn’t have Jalen Ramsey or Jevon Holland, but one thing that really stood out is watching him in the red zone; there was a period where he had five straight touchdown passes in the red zone, including several over the middle of the field, which was a question mark for him coming out of college. He’s really excelled and processing in that area.”
“Comfortable and in control.”
That’s how @JayD__5’s performance has been described during Preseason training. 👀 @CameronWolfe pic.twitter.com/fPJ6HY5MCJ
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 17, 2024
Wolfe said Daniels told him after the practice that he was excited to see Miami’s blitzes because they had a different look. With Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers on the schedule in Week 1, it was good practice for him.
How much will Daniels play against the Dolphins in Saturday’s preseason game? According to Wolfe, head coach Dan Quinn said Daniels will play one or two series with the first-team offense as the team is comfortable with the work Daniels had in the joint practice sessions.