Troy Aikman was in the booth for the Washington Commanders’ Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. The former Dallas Cowboy and Pro Football Hall of Fame member didn’t expect to be talking about Jayden Daniels more than Bengals QB Joe Burrow on that night.
Make no mistake, Burrow was and is phenomenal, but on that night, it was Daniels who was the talk of the NFL world. The rookie completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Aikman, who gets to meet with each team in preparation for the game, spent some time with Daniels and the Commanders. He came away impressed with Daniels before the game even took place.
In a recent episode of “Pardon My Take,” Aikman was asked which team he would buy stock in for the next 3-5 years.
“Washington,” Aikman answered. “I wouldn’t have said that prior to this year. I probably wouldn’t have said it we hadn’t have already had Washington this season. I can’t tell you how high I am on this quarterback. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that high on a young quarterback. I watched him, so he played two games, I guess we had him Week 3, and I liked what I had seen. There’s are a lot of quarterbacks that have talent. Virtually every quarterback in the NFL has some ability; that’s why they’re in the NFL, especially if you’ve been a first-round pick. But what separates them? The organization, the coaching, the players around them, all that. But what can the player control? Does he have the intangibles? Does he want to be great? Is he smart? Does he put in the time? Is he a good teammate? All of that. So, when we did our production meeting with Jayden, I immediately…that’s what sealed it for me. Before we even called the game. Before we even had the game against Cincinnati. When we got done talking to him, I said, ‘Wow, this guy is the real deal.'”
That’s huge coming from Aikman. Being the lead broadcaster for Fox Sports for years and now at ESPN, he’s met with all of the NFL’s top quarterbacks. And for him to come away that impressed with Daniels is another sign telling you the Commanders will be in good hands for a long time. They finally got their guy.