ASHBURN, Va. \u2014 Picture what Jayden Daniels can do for an encore now that he\u2019s experienced against NFL opposition. Teammate Bobby Wagner has seen enough to imagine it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe confidence will grow. Understanding what teams are trying to do, the mixing of coverages. Playing against those defenses is going to serve him really good (now),\u201d said Wagner, a linebacker entering his 14th season in the league. \u201cI think he\u2019s going to make a big, big leap.\u201d<\/p>\n
It took just one pass on Day 1 of the Washington Commanders’ training camp Wednesday to justify the belief in the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n
On his first toss in 11-on-11 drills, Daniels, working from the high red zone, looked left for one of his newest targets, Deebo Samuel. The design \u2014 two receivers on crossing routes, with Samuel running a slot fade \u2014 isolated the former 49ers Pro Bowler in a 1-on-1 matchup. Tight coverage from second-year safety Tyler Owens left Daniels with a minuscule margin for error.<\/p>\n
Still, Daniels threaded a perfect ball into the tightest of windows, landing it over the shoulder in stride.<\/p>\n
Even with the understanding that the no-pads practice is closer to a walkthrough than live game action, the pass had onlookers gasping. Daniels\u2019 brilliance in leading Washington to its first NFC championship game appearance since 1991 raised expectations to the point where maybe no bar is high enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing I\u2019ve learned over the year from Jayden,\u201d coach Dan Quinn said, \u201c(is) there are no limits on him.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) gestures during practice at the team’s NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Ashburn, Va. Credit: AP\/Mark Schiefelbein<\/p>\n
Whether the same can be said for the Commanders, coming off a surprising 12-5 regular season, followed by playoff wins at Tampa Bay and Detroit, is another question. Having the preternaturally poised and athletically gifted Daniels keeps optimism high for 2025 and beyond.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s in part because of Daniels\u2019 mentality. Despite the massive attention following his dynamic debut \u2014 Daniels became the only rookie quarterback in league history with at least 3,500 passing yards (3,568) and 750 rushing yards (a rookie-record 891) \u2014 he arrived at camp with his feet firmly on the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s kind of just who I am: gratitude and humility,” Daniels said about focusing amid an increasingly chaotic world around him. “I don\u2019t really look too much into everything, but I would just say just my inner circle, the people I talk to, the people closest to me \u2014 they help me stay grounded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniels said he spent the offseason focused on fundamentals. Footwork in the pocket. Keeping his eyes on the field. Scenarios where he might need to break a tackle or escape pressure.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) arrives practice at the team’s NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Ashburn, Va. Credit: AP\/Mark Schiefelbein<\/p>\n
Washington\u2019s offense soared last season with tone-setters Daniels and Terry McLaurin. The second-team All-Pro receiver \u2014 who can become a free agent after this season \u2014 skipped a chunk of the offseason program because of a contract dispute and remained away from the team as camp opened.<\/p>\n
Washington placed McLaurin on the reserve\/did not report list Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Daniels supports his teammate \u2014 \u201cWe know he\u2019s working; he\u2019s still our brother,\u201d the QB said \u2014 while downplaying any notion of a chemistry calamity from McLaurin\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s an overstated thing,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cObviously, me and Terry have a very good relationship. That\u2019s just the business of the NFL. Whenever that time comes, and he\u2019s back out on the field, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll miss a beat.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the pass to Samuel showed, Daniels certainly hasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
NOTES: The Commanders placed right guard Sam Cosmi on the physically unable to perform list. Cosmi had ACL surgery after getting injured during Washington\u2019s divisional round playoff victory against the Lions. The standard recovery time suggests an October return, but Quinn spoke optimistically about possibly having the starter back earlier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ASHBURN, Va. \u2014 Picture what Jayden Daniels can do for an encore now that he\u2019s experienced against NFL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2069],"tags":[41907,427,7,6,855,111,2480,2309],"class_list":{"0":"post-230405","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-commanders","8":"tag-audio_enabled","9":"tag-commanders","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-washington","13":"tag-washington-commanders","14":"tag-washingtoncommanders","15":"tag-wires-bot"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114904137207439556","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}