It was third-and-6 at the Commanders’ 34-yard line. Going no-huddle, the call was for Jayden Daniels to attempt a screen pass, get rid of the ball, and avoid being hit behind an offensive line that was without their top three tackles (Cornelius Lucas, Andrew Wylie, Brandon Coleman).
Daniels instead called for an empty backfield, sending wide receiver Dyami Brown deep down the right sideline. With no running back to help pick up a penetrating pass rusher or blitzer, Daniels lofted a beautiful pass that Brown snagged for a 42-yard gain.
Dan Quinn has talked a lot about Jayden Daniels's processing and decision-making.
Here's Daniels explaining his process on the check to Dyami Brown: pic.twitter.com/4wOt6wB2Nu
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 11, 2024
Did Daniels’ change from the screen pass to the long pattern for Brown impress or concern head coach Dan Quinn?
Well, first of all, Quinn is certainly not simplistic. So, is it out of the realm of probability that Quinn was both impressed and concerned?
On the one hand, Daniels’ move appears very confident, very assertive. That could speak very well to the rookie’s leadership skills and confidence in his physical abilities.
On the other hand, might it have been a demonstration of Daniels’ lack of understanding of the risks involved? Both could be true, quite true.
Daniels is confident, but he also does not yet understand the risks involved in the NFL. The SEC is a great football conference, but even most of the SEC players he faced won’t make it in the NFL.
What if Daniels had been hit hard, perhaps even injured? There is not one of us that wants to go down that path.
The experienced Quinn remained very positive with the media following the game. But Quinn, being the leader he is, do you think he will simply shrug his shoulders and let it go because the result was a short-term success?
In September, the pass rush Daniels will begin facing will be much more intense and much faster. Consequently, Daniels should not be surprised this week when he hears again the need to follow instructions from those who know much more than himself concerning what lies ahead this season.