Jayden Daniels, Commanders maintaining an internal hunger amid 2025 expectations

New York Times

4 days ago

ASHBURN, Va. — It took mere seconds for Jayden Daniels to supercharge Washington Commanders training camp with a jolt of electricity as last season's Cinderella team took the field for the first time.
On the very first play of team drills, Daniels — the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year — surveyed the defense, sent his running back in motion, took the shotgun snap and dropped the ball over the shoulder of a tightly covered Deebo Samuel for a 30-yard touchdown. The connection between the second-year quarterback and one of Washington's high-profile offseason acquisitions served as a sign of things to come, as did the next two offensive possessions, which saw Daniels continue to execute with precision.
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Daniels and the Commanders have a long way to go before they're regular-season ready. They badly need to resolve the contract dispute between perennial 1,000-yard receiver and two-time Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin, who remained away from the team for a second straight day. New additions like the star-studded trio of Samuel, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and pass rusher Von Miller remain in the acclimation stages, as are members of a promising rookie class led by first-round offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and second-round cornerback Trey Amos.
But there's a buzz radiating from this team and permeating throughout the DMV area.
Thanks to a string of electrifying last-minute regular-season victories, an improbable march to the NFC Championship Game and this offseason's high-profile roster upgrades, Washington will not sneak up on anyone this season. The team has legitimate outside expectations for the first time in decades. If not handled properly, those expectations can lead to crippling pressure. However, Commanders players say that maintaining an internal focus on growth will help guard against that.
'You take it day by day and focus on what you can control,' said Daniels, who last season passed for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for 891 yards and six more scores as he directed one of the most prolific offenses in the league. 'And that's (asking), 'How can I get better each and every day? How can I help lead this team and, you know, even advance myself more within the offense?' … If it was easy, everybody would be able to do it. So it's obviously easier said than done.'
As coach Dan Quinn put it, 'Last year we came up with some standards that we want as Commanders. This is our 'Commander Standard.' It was written by the players, so we really see the expectations, you know, being external, but the ones that we have are internal. These are the standards that we want to go after. So we definitely recognize there could be a narrative or a voice outside, but the truth of it is, internally, our standard of what we want to do and how we want to get down, that's way more powerful. And we're fortunate that we're able to rely on those standards, as opposed to an expectation which comes from the outside.'
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Last season, Quinn's philosophies and methods helped set the tone for a badly needed culture change within what had long ranked among the most dysfunctional franchises in the NFL. He and his assistants stressed the importance of consistency, accountability and daily competition. Meanwhile, Daniels served as a major catalyst for the Commanders' on-field success while shining in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's system.
But while drawing on experiences of that rookie campaign, Daniels also knows 2024 is a thing of the past. By now, every defensive coordinator Washington will face has spent hours dissecting the quarterback's game, pinpointing every strength and weakness. So, evolution is necessary.
'The coolest thing is, he had a really good season last year, but I don't think he's satisfied with where he's at,' linebacker Bobby Wagner, one of Daniels' closest teammates, declared. 'He has a chance to be a really, really good quarterback, and you can see that in the way he prepares, the way he's locked in. He's ready to go.'
Daniels said he spent the offseason working to improve his footwork, movements in the pocket and keeping his eyes downfield while eluding defenders. He also has worked to further strengthen his understanding of defensive concepts, something for which he believes Miller — just as Wagner has since joining the team last year — can serve as a resource.
'To be able to ask questions — obviously (Miller) won a Super Bowl, too — so you want to be able to be like, 'What do you see on this? Or what are you looking at when you try to time with the snap?' Stuff like that. So just be able to pick their brains, because obviously their careers are self-explanatory.'
2️⃣4️⃣@VonMiller | #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/3GtxSYqR6x
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 23, 2025
For now, despite not having his full arsenal, Daniels is working to develop chemistry with a revamped offensive line and timing with Samuel and other receivers while waiting for McLaurin's contract resolution.
When asked about the absence of McLaurin, who has recorded five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and is entering the final year of his contract, everyone from Daniels (who says he has maintained regular contact with McLaurin) to Quinn downplayed the matter as 'the business of football.'
'It's a business, and so some business is not your business,' Wagner, a 14-year veteran, said. 'You let them take care of the things that need to be taken care of, and you focus on yourself, but understand that he's still a part of the team. He's still somebody who is a huge presence in this locker room. He's an amazing figure in this community. … And so, you just sit there and you wait and you hope that something is done, and that's what you do. And when it gets done, you celebrate.'
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Eventually, the Commanders expect to return to full strength, but until then, the focus remains the same: maintaining the hunger and standard set last season. They're well aware that they still have much to prove despite their 2024 success.
'What I'm excited about our team is everybody has somebody that's doubting or someone that says, 'You can't do this,'' Wagner said. 'That makes everybody hungry. And I think a team full of guys like that, that has something to prove and something to show the world, is a fun team.'