Commanders' Jayden Daniels under pressure to perform in 2026
· Yahoo Sports
One of the biggest things we've been talking about this offseason is Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. After leading his team to the NFC Championship in 2024 and earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, the 2025 season fell flat. Injuries derailed the entire team, including Daniels, who now has a lot to prove.
It's one of the major storylines around the Commanders as a whole: The way Daniels performs in 2026 will dictate the direction of the organization. NFL.com's Grant Gordon recently discussed this as one of the team's top storylines.
Visit salonsustainability.club for more information.
There's a lot to accomplish for Jayden Daniels this summer following a disastrous 2025 season. The Commanders sputtered, and the 2024 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year missed 10 games due to injuries, going just 2-5 in the games he played. How Daniels looks and feels after sustaining a sprained knee, strained hamstring and dislocated left elbow is tops on the agenda. He also needs to get acclimated to David Blough's offense, which will see Daniels taking snaps under center far more now that his former assistant QB coach is his offensive coordinator after two seasons with Kliff Kingsbury in that role. Daniels is also in the latest season of Netflix's Quarterback series. All eyes and a heap of responsibility will be on Daniels. How he bounces back -- and how well he adapts to a new offense -- could be the story of the Commanders' season.
Last season was the polar opposite of Daniels' 2024 season. His injuries hampered the team's efforts, and it certainly didn't help that there were a slew of injuries along the rest of the roster, too.
With a new offensive coordinator and a new offensive scheme, Daniels should have a better shot at staying healthy this season. Blough likes the passing game and will do everything in his power to keep Daniels in the pocket. Sure, there will be some scrambles and designed runs, but for the most part, the idea is to keep Daniels behind the line of scrimmage.
There have been questions about Daniels' ability to become a pocket passer, but if you've been paying attention to Blough, you should already know that he's coming along nicely.
Daniels has a ton of pressure on his shoulders this season, but he's one of those guys who will use that to fuel his efforts to prove that he is an elite quarterback. Provided he and key players around him stay healthy, we should see the Commanders look like a very different team from 2025.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' Jayden Daniels under pressure to perform in 2026