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Dan Quinn shared what Commanders starting QB Jayden Daniels now is — and what he is not
One hundred and two days after the Chicago Bears shared their decision, the Washington Commanders announced their own.
Like No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams in Chicago, No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels on Monday received the nod as Washington Commanders 2024 starting quarterback.
The vast difference in timeline begs the question: When should teams let their squads know?
It’s easy to run toward one camp or the other, to believe rookie quarterbacks should be named immediately or to defend the time allotted to learning about a young prospect.
The reality, coaches and executives across the league have told Yahoo Sports in recent weeks, is there is no single formula for onboarding a rookie quarterback.
There is no categorically “right” way.
“At the macro level, it depends on the person and the situation,” one NFC general manager told Yahoo Sports. “And at the micro level, it still depends on the person and situation but the micro consists of intertwined complexities between the two.
“Most cases of doing really hard things are similar.”
If the Commanders’ best option was to consider their macro and micro circumstances, they deserve credit for the approach they rode toward Monday’s arrival at the announcement Daniels has earned their starting quarterback role.
The alternative, those who know him will tell you, doesn’t suit him.
Why Jayden Daniels didn’t expect early starting announcement
Daniels’ work ethic has become so core to who and how he is that he may not even realize the full extent.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters admired the narrative so deeply that when all other rookies received key fobs from team staff, Quinn and Peters saved Daniels’ to hand it to him directly and note his access was “24 hours.”
Still, Daniels’ response to Quinn handing him the proverbial keys this week is rather astounding.
Who did he call first after Quinn arrived in the quarterback room to tell him he’d earned the starting job?
“Really nobody,” he told reporters in a Monday news conference. “We had meetings, so I couldn’t do all that. I’m pretty sure my phone is blowing up right now.”
The decision not to immediately celebrate was small. But it reflects why the Commanders believe in Daniels and also why the longer road to naming him quarterback suits him.
Daniels didn’t look at his 40 touchdowns to four interceptions stat line last season and believe it was a ticket to starting in the NFL, instead insisting Monday that “what I did in college doesn’t matter.”
He didn’t look at his 12-of-15 for 123 yards line in two preseason games as a sign he was destined to command September huddles, nor his rushing touchdown as a sign he deserved to be let loose.
“I’m a rookie so I got to come out here and prove it,” Daniels said. “If DQ and them were going to preach competition and you’ve got to earn everything, man, they can’t come here and give me the job right away.
“Got to earn it.”
Daniels has. Now what?
Commanders haven’t handed full mantle to Daniels — and that’s a good thing
When the Commanders visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 8, expect Daniels and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to emphasize “getting the ball into playmakers’ hands as fast as possible,” Daniels said.
Washington wants a physical offensive line and reliable run game to anchor an offense that ultimately also opens up deep shots for Daniels like the 42-yard completion he found Dyami Brown on in the first quarter of his preseason debut.
The Commanders want Daniels to leverage his arms and legs alike, the threat of his mobility making him the equivalent of two players for defenses to defend in what Quinn views as a weekly mathematical mismatch.
Washington aimed to shore up Daniels’ supporting cast and protection with veteran acquisitions in center Tyler Biadasz, left guard Nick Allegretti, tight end Zach Ertz and running back Austin Ekeler.
Bringing quarterback Marcus Mariota in gave Daniels a mentor who experienced the pressure of being a Heisman winner-turned-No. 2 overall pick. He understood the football transition and the expectations.
Daniels saw how Mariota “felt like he had to wear the cape” and, in turn, understands how Quinn is trying to distribute that pressure.
Quinn was intentional Monday about saying not only what Daniels is but also what he is not.
Is Daniels the Commanders’ starting quarterback? As of Monday, he is. Does Washington expect him to work hard, compete tirelessly and be a great teammate? Check, check and check. But there’s a catch.
“He has to play his position well and be a great teammate,” Quinn said. “He doesn’t have to be the leader of the team.”
It was an unusual line to hear from a coach but one Quinn didn’t say lightly.
Quinn spoke to coaches, including Washington three-time Super Bowl champion head coach Joe Gibbs, about how necessary it was for a quarterback to immediately be a vocal leader in the traditional sense.
Quinn’s takeaway, in his first coaching opportunity with a young quarterback to develop: No.
“It was interesting knowing that if you go draft somebody, they don’t have to be the [vocal] team leader right away,” Quinn told Yahoo Sports during a June sitdown interview. “If you push somebody into leadership who’s not ready or you anoint somebody that’s not a leader, both of those can go badly because it has to be earned and proven and demonstrated.
“It usually works its way out if somebody has those traits and you push it and develop it.”
Daniels will continue to command respect for his play and his work in Washington. He’ll continue to share the mantle of responsibility with his coaching staff and teammates, especially those far more veteran than him.
It won’t surprise the franchise if, like the quarterback battle road he travelled, over time Daniels’ leadership role continues to expand.
Expect that conversation between Quinn and Daniels to unfold similarly to Monday’s discussion in the quarterback room.
“Man, I’m naming you the starter today,” Quinn told Daniels. “The name of our whole program will be about competition. And you’ve crushed it and earned it.
“It’s a cool moment. One you’ve absolutely earned.”
