“They signed Marcus Mariota as a backup quarterback. And we all know what he is; he’s a backup at best.”
That was what former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said when asked about the Commanders’ quarterback situation for this 2024 season.
Spielman, a guest of Ryan Wilson on the CBS Sports Network, was asked about each of the quarterbacks drafted in the first round of April 2024’s NFL draft.
He continued, “He’s struggled every time he has had to start. New regime coming in, new GM, new head coach, new offensive coordinator. They will do everything they can to get him (Jayden Daniels) prepared to start Week 1.”
Wilson then responded, “Here’s something Dan (Quinn) said recently talking about Jayden, ‘He’s further along than he probably should be.’
Wilson interjected, “That’s high praise for this time of year, even though you haven’t seen him take a hit. Because you can tell whether he knows the playbook or not.”
Back to Quinn’s evaluation of Daniels: “There’s no doubt that Jayden’s making unbelievable progress. It was really clear that he has put the work in.”
Kliff Kingsbury (offensive coordinator) added, “He has a really high football IQ. He understands protections. I’ve been really impressed by that. A lot of guys come into the league, and that’s not an area they major in in college.”
Spielman added he was impressed with Daniels coming in at 5:45 in the mornings to get in more mental reps in the new offense he is learning. Wilson then added that tackle Andrew Wylie and receiver Terry McLaurin have both been pleased with Daniels’ work ethic and leadership.
The experienced Spielman then warned their viewers that it is yet to be determined how good Daniels will be on the football field. “I mean, is anyone saying, ‘You know, we have a horse crap football team coming out to OTA’s and minicamps. We are packing it in’.”
For their complete dialog regarding this discussion of other first-round quarterback selections, you can watch here.