{"id":884505,"date":"2026-05-07T02:51:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T02:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/884505\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T02:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T02:51:22","slug":"why-commanders-rookie-wr-antonio-williams-can-help-2026-emphasis-for-jayden-daniels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/884505\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Commanders rookie WR Antonio Williams can help 2026 emphasis for Jayden Daniels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before a dislocated elbow, sprained left knee and injured right hamstring hampered Jayden Daniels<\/a> in 2025, the Washington Commanders<\/a>\u2019 quarterback had shown it.<\/p>\n

The 2024 second overall draft pick had shown his dual-threat ability as a rookie, rushing for 891 yards and six touchdowns in addition to passing for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions.<\/p>\n

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Entering Year 3, the Commanders want to lean more on the latter: Daniels\u2019 passing. And just as they coached him during his rookie season, the Commanders want Daniels extending plays as a passer more often than he takes off to run.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s super fast, and so, when he gets out on the edge, oftentimes, like, he can scramble for a first down for 7 yards,\u201d Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told Yahoo Sports at the league\u2019s annual meeting in March. \u201cWhich ones can you remain a passer and throw it for 27 yards?And so, that’s not just him. That’s when the other receivers are outside, not turning to block, but going on a route.<\/p>\n

\u201cSystemwise, that’s definitely one of the things that we’re working hard on \u2013 when the second play happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second play will often come after Daniels has needed to elude a rush, and when he\u2019s already out of structure if not also off platform. Syncing with receivers out of structure is more difficult than when leaning on footwork in the pocket. Quinn and offensive coordinator David Blough<\/a> will remind Daniels of the upside.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe effectiveness is from the explosive plays,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cSo his effectiveness will be a little bit more under center this season, which leads into more play-action passes. So I think there’ll be more examples where after the play action happens and he sees it, and if he does get outside the pocket one way or another, take a beat and then go hit the next [target].\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MINNEAPOLIS,<\/p>\n

Injuries limited Jayden Daniels to seven starts last season. (Photo by Michael Owens\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

(Michael Owens via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Veteran receiver Terry McLaurin<\/a>, whom the Commanders extended last August, will anchor the receiving corps. But Washington also selected Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams<\/a> in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft as the team aimed to get younger and faster.<\/p>\n

Deebo Samuel<\/a>, who is now an unrestricted free agent,<\/a> led Washington last season with 727 receiving yards and five touchdowns as McLaurin was limited to 10 games due to a right quad injury. McLaurin\u2019s 58.2 yards per game was more productive than Samuel\u2019s 45.4 when both were available.<\/p>\n

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The Commanders didn\u2019t draft Williams to be Samuel 2.0. But they do see ways he can complement McLaurin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see [Williams] really helping us out on third down,\u201d general manager Adam Peters said after Washington drafted Williams. \u201cWe\u2019ll have multiple guys across the formation that win on third down.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Williams, Commanders believe they found \u2018NFL route runner\u2019<\/p>\n

When Daniels is extending plays, expect McLaurin to still be the top option whether downfield or on a crossing route.<\/p>\n

McLaurin\u2019s vertical strengths flashed in Daniels\u2019 rookie year, when the two connected for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns \u2014 part of his seven-year track record averaging 14 yards per reception.<\/p>\n

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In Williams, who played four seasons for Clemson, Washington welcomes a receiver who can complement McLaurin by working the slot. The Commanders also view Williams as a more than just a slot receiver, Peters pointing to a 2024 game against Georgia when Williams lined up outside.<\/p>\n

Peters touted Williams\u2019 strength at the catch point and toughness on exposed targets and blocks as offsetting Williams\u2019 5-foot-11 1\/2, 187-pound frame. The Commanders hope to see the talent Williams showed in 2024 before a hamstring injury slowed his 2025.<\/p>\n

\"COLUMBIA,<\/p>\n

Clemson’s Antonio Williams, a Round 3 selection, was the first offensive player the Commanders drafted last month. (Photo by Joe Robbins\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch his 2024 film, you really get to see what a special talent he is,\u201d Peters said. \u201cGreat athlete. Great athlete, really fast, and he\u2019s fast in a lot of different ways. He\u2019s fast at the 40 time (4.41). The GPS is really, really on him in game. And then the old scout\u2019s eye: You see him, he plays fast and he plays at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n

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But perhaps the top reason Williams caught the Commanders\u2019 eye was his route running. Washington hopes giving Daniels a player who can sync with him and sync quickly will help Daniels in and out of structure.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the speed and the detail and the precision and the quickness in and out of breaks, he doesn\u2019t look like a college guy out there,\u201d Peters said. \u201cThe things that\u2019ll win at our level \u2026 he\u2019s already doing them.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s an NFL route runner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peters credited Williams\u2019 ability to understand zone and man coverages as well as how to outleverage opponents.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s more of the underneath guy than Terry,\u201d Peters said, \u201cbut certainly versatile enough to do all the rest of the stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commanders offense will feature change at coaches, personnel<\/p>\n

After two years under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Daniels will experience his first professional system shift.<\/p>\n

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The Commanders and Kingsbury parted ways after the 2025 season due to differences in offensive philosophies. Washington also lost its 2024 and 2025 quarterbacks coach, Tavita Pritchard, when Pritchard\u2019s alma mater Stanford hired him as head coach.<\/p>\n

Still, Quinn had assembled a staff he hoped would give Daniels consistency in terminology and institutional system knowledge throughout his career even with turnover. So rather than hire from outside, the Commanders promoted 2024-25 assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough to offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

Blough, who played quarterback for Purdue before four seasons across the Detroit Lions<\/a> and Arizona Cardinals<\/a> rosters, is expected to integrate more under-center principles than the Commanders had for Daniels\u2019 career start.<\/p>\n

Expect Daniels to consider cadences and checks at the line of scrimmage more and to adjust his footwork to under-center principles. The Commanders hope continuity with backup quarterbacks Marcus Mariota<\/a> and Sam Hartman<\/a>, as well with Blough, will help smooth Daniels\u2019 transition.<\/p>\n

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\u201cChange is hard, to start, but Jayden’s football acumen is also super rare,\u201d Quinn told Yahoo Sports in March. \u201cHe just gets it in terms of mental quickness and being around, all the starts in college and also the starts here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will health power a Daniels upswing?<\/p>\n

In Daniels\u2019 seven games last season, he completed 60.6% of passes for 1,262 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He dipped from 209.9 yards per game and a 100.1 passer rating to 180.3 and 88.1. But Daniels\u2019 health, as well as that of a battered receiving corps, influenced those numbers.<\/p>\n

The Commanders ranked 22nd in total offense and scoring last season, down from seventh and fifth in 2024. And they ranked 24th in passing yards, down from 17th. Washington\u2019s run game remained consistent even amid changing parts, ranking No. 4 in total rushing yards a year after slotting third.<\/p>\n

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Expect Washington to again lean on its run game in 2026. But don\u2019t expect the Commanders to lean on Daniels as their carrier.<\/p>\n

Schematic advantages will come with new passing concepts. Washington hopes better quarterback availability will, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just on Jayden, it\u2019s on all of us,\u201d Peters said at the NFL scouting combine. \u201cIt\u2019s on our scouting staff to find the receivers and linemen and the running backs to support him so he doesn\u2019t have to do it all himself. It\u2019s on the coaches with the way they coach him and what they call the plays we call and the scheme and everything like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s a team effort. But certainly it is a premium to keep him healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before a dislocated elbow, sprained left knee and injured right hamstring hampered Jayden Daniels in 2025, the Washington…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":884506,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2069],"tags":[4141,6959,390,427,7291,22531,1705,113,7,734,11695,7019,6,12611,8112,7186,855,111,2480],"class_list":["post-884505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-washington-commanders","tag-adam-peters","tag-antonio-williams","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-commanders","tag-dan-quinn","tag-david-blough","tag-deebo-samuel","tag-detroit-lions","tag-football","tag-jayden-daniels","tag-marcus-mariota","tag-michael-owens","tag-nfl","tag-offensive-coordinator","tag-sam-hartman","tag-terry-mclaurin","tag-washington","tag-washington-commanders","tag-washingtoncommanders"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116531028814538636","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884505","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=884505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/884506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=884505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=884505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=884505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}