Thanks to the zero adaptation period that Daniels took, Washington went from viewing this season as one where it had to develop its potential franchise QB to imagine fighting for the division and, why not, host a Playoff game in the same Northwest Stadium.
The thing is, right now, Washington has the second best record in the NFC (behind the Minnesota Vikings, one of the two undefeated teams in the league). Not even the most optimistic of fans in the American capital would have made such a prediction.
If one, on the other hand, wants to be pessimistic (there are plenty of those in Washington), one must surely mention what happened with Robert Griffin III. In 2012, the city also believed it had found its savior. After a fantastic regular season, RGIII reaggravated a knee injury in the loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round. Unfortunately, Griffin was never able to recover 100% from that injury and we missed out on what could have been a wonderful career for an electrifying player.
Daniels’ case doesn’t seem to have much to do with RGIII’s. For that matter, there are no comparisons with Lamar Jackson, the other quarterback who is often mentioned when people want to praise Daniels. Coincidentally, Lamar and Jayden will be rivals this Sunday, in a sensational clash between the Commanders and their main territorial enemy: the Baltimore Ravens (61km separate the city of Maryland, the home of the Ravens, from Washington DC).
Unlike Lamar, who was drafted at age 21 and at the end of the first round (when even some analysts thought he should change his position and play as a receiver, truly crazy), Jayden Daniels arrived in the NFL more mature ( He is 23 and will turn 24 in December).
Beyond your age, which of course influences, Daniels arrived in the NFL with a much more fluid passing game than Lamar’s (and that of the vast majority of rookie QBs). Its impact has been instantaneous, and after what seemed like an eternity, Washington has reason to dream big again.
