Commanders Head Coach Non-Committal About Naming Jayden Daniels Starting Quarterback

The Washington Commanders will have a brand-new look heading into the 2024 season. The team hired former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as its head coach, and the No. 2 overall pick was used on reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.

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The hope is that Daniels is the franchise quarterback the team needs to pave the way into a new era of football for the Commanders. However, Daniels was very honest about his trajectory thus far, telling John Keim of ESPN, “I ain’t a star quarterback yet. I got a long way to go. I’m a rookie.”

Daniels’ self-awareness is a rare quality in a young NFL player, and it will be up to head coach Dan Quinn to get the most out of him. Despite the consensus that Daniels is on his way to becoming a starter, Quinn is not ready to name him as such.

JP Finlay of NBC Sports reported that Quinn told reporters during the Commanders’ press conference that a starter is not ready to be named. Veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota was taking reps with the first-string unit early in camp, but more recently has handed those snaps to Daniels, which prompted a question about Daniels’ status on the depth chart.

“In true competition, that’s why we set it up as we did: to have Marcus to have some and Jayden to have some,” Quinn said. “There’s no great declarations, other than being true to who we are as competitors. There’s no doubt that Jayden’s making unbelievable progress here and we’ll have a really fun camp. He’s earned that opportunity to go compete. We wouldn’t give him … those reps if he hadn’t. But it was really clear he’s put in the work and he was ready to do that. It was by intention for sure that he was able to do that.”

It is still early in the offseason to name a starting quarterback, especially one who is a rookie, so Quinn’s reluctance to name a starter (as opposed to a competition) is understandable. Daniels was selected No. 2 overall to be the day-one starter, but it appears he has some work to do before he is named QB1.

Quinn not naming Daniels as the starter right now does not mean that isn’t going to happen; still, when paired with Daniels’ comments about the work he has to do, the situation might be viewed as a concern. There are still months of training camp and preseason to get the Heisman winner ready to go.

The Commanders could be a good team with Daniels at the helm. The team acquired free-agent running back Austin Ekeler, formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers. Tight end Zach Ertz also came over from the Arizona Cardinals, and the team has Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin. The offense has weapons, but Daniels will need to be ready to command this offense.

Quinn did allude that Daniels is well on his way, but the team also has Mariota and Jeff Driskel, another veteran, to lean on should the rookie not be ready when the time comes.