Did you notice a sudden, different approach by Jayden Daniels early last season?
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner came to Washington, learned Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive system, and immediately made a big turn upward in the second half of game two.
Yes, in his first game, Daniels much too often took off running too soon. Yes, he picked up rushing yardage, but he was losing opportunities to extend plays and get the ball downfield to receivers.
Taking a hard hit in the mid-section in a home Week 2 game against the New York Giants, Daniels had the wind knocked out of him and went to the sideline. In the second half, Daniels suddenly extended plays and passed the ball to open receivers downfield.
Jayden Daniels took a hit to the ribs and is coming out of the gMe pic.twitter.com/7M5EDW3ZJa
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 15, 2024
Daniels went on to lead the Commanders to a 12-5 season, although he lost his WR2 when Noah Brown went down for the rest of the season.
If that wasn’t enough, the running game began to limp in mid-season as the offensive line opened up fewer holes for runners, and starter Brian Robinson seemed to struggle noticeably.
Right guard Sam Cosmi, arguably the finest of the unit, did go down against the Lions in the Divisional Round playoff game. It would not be surprising if Cosmi misses half of next season. He could be tough to replace.
Yet David Blough, assistant QB coach, QB coach Tavita Pritchard, Brian Johnson, the assistant head coach and passing game coordinator, run game coordinator Anthony Lynn, and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson are each returning. This all bodes well for Daniels’s opportunity next season.
Daniels’ sudden change in approach after the first six quarters of the season points to both his willingness to learn and the offensive coaches’ good teaching of Daniels.