During spring and summer workouts, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin praised the work ethic and offensive knowledge that rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels flashed from his first days inside the team’s facility through the preseason.
Daniels nevertheless managed to surprise teammates amid the hot starts he and the Commanders have enjoyed over the season’s first five weeks.
“I didn’t anticipate him coming in and hitting the ground running like that,” McLaurin said while speaking with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated after Washington’s dominant 34-13 win over the Cleveland Browns. “I’ve played with a few quarterbacks and definitely a few rookie quarterbacks. Sometimes, it takes some time to get comfortable in the NFL system, not just at practice. Then you go to a game and it’s a different animal. …You see him getting better each and every week. I think that’s a testament to his experience that he had in college, but also the preparation he puts in.”
Daniels looked like a first-year signal-caller in Washington’s Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but then played like a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate en route to guiding his club to four straight victories. According to ESPN stats, he began Monday ranked third in the league with a 73.2 adjusted QBR and fifth with a 106.3 passer rating on the season. Per StatMuse, Daniels is sixth in the league with a combined 1,435 passing and rushing yards.
Against Cleveland, Daniels did well to overcome an early interception and completed 14-of-25 passes for 238 yards to go along with 82 rushing yards. His 41-yard touchdown pass to Dyami Brown shortly before halftime essentially put the game to bed.
“That’s something that jumped out right away, his anticipation, his ability to throw it on the run,” McLaurin added. “He has a lot of talent with being able to stretch the field vertically and horizontally. He can hit all the throws.”
Daniels will next try to hit all his throws when Washington plays at the 3-2 Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Commanders as significant 6.5-point underdogs for that contest.
At that same time, DraftKings Sportsbook had Daniels fifth among the betting favorites at +1000 odds to win the regular-season MVP Award.
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