Will Commanders' QB Jayden Daniels suffer a sophomore slump in 2025?
Will Commanders' QB Jayden Daniels suffer a sophomore slump in 2025?
The Washington Commanders' 2024 season was one for the ages. A new general manager, a new head coach, and a rookie quarterback joined forces and essentially willed this team to the NFC Championship game. But now, Jayden Daniels enters his sophomore season, and the dreaded 'sophomore slump' is staring him dead in the face. There has been plenty of speculation that Daniels will not perform as well in 2025 as he did in 2024, and for one CBS Sports analyst, it's one of the 10 burning questions around the NFC East.
Will Jayden Daniels have a sophomore slump with the Commanders?
Daniels had one of the best rookie seasons for a quarterback in NFL history. He was just the second quarterback with 4,000-plus passing yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards in a season (including playoffs) in NFL history, leading the commanders to the NFC Championship Game in his first year in the league.
Daniels had the most total touchdowns (37) and total yards (5,416) by a rookie quarterback (including playoffs), winning 14 games in that rookie campaign. Those numbers will be hard to top, no matter how Daniels performs in 2025.
Daniels carried the Commanders last season, and he'll be asked to do it again. The Commanders have a better roster, but defenses have an entire offseason to study Daniels. Watching Daniels adjust in year two will be one of the storylines in the NFL this season.
Sure, there is plenty of film on Daniels after his rookie season, but that doesn't automatically mean that defenses will be able to stop him. Especially since Adam Peters bolstered the offensive line and gave Daniels additional weapons to utilize on the field.
Will Daniels' production be what it was in 2024? Maybe not. But maybe that means that other players are more effective and he doesn't have to extend plays, rather than a dip in performance. Don't mistake Daniels for someone who gets complacent; he sticks to his routine and work ethic, and even if he does see a dip in performance, it won't be enough to consider a slump.
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