Jayden Daniels Had 'Great 1st Day' in NFL Preseason Debut, Commanders' Dan Quinn Says

Jayden Daniels preseason debut impressed head coach Dan Quinn.

The Commanders first-year coach praised Daniels' control of the offense and characterized the performance as a strong start.

"Jayden, I thought had just a real command of things," Quinn said, per Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press. "It was a great first day for him."

Daniels only played a single drive in the 20-17 loss to the New York Jets but it was an impressive one. He went 2-of-3 passing for 45 yards and also added a three-yard rushing touchdown.

The Commanders hope Daniels can be the long-term solution at quarterback. Washington selected Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 Draft after the LSU product had a sensational senior season. He threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns and also added 1,134 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

He won the Heisman Trophy for these efforts and now is tasked with leading a Commanders team that went 4-13 in 2023 and missed the postseason for the third consecutive season. Washington has not had a quarterback start three straight years since Kirk Cousins left in 2017, but Daniels will hope to change that very soon.