For Washington’s long-suffering fan base, Jayden Daniels’ performance to date has been a revelation. He came into camp looking like anything but a rookie, and he’s made plays with both his arm and legs. Daniels has transformed the Commanders from a struggling bottom feeder to a playoff contender, and with Daniel Snyder gone, there’s are plenty of reasons to root for this team again.
But there is a cautionary note that needs to be mentioned—we’ve seen this movie before. It happened just over a decade ago when Washington debuted a flashy young quarterback named Robert Griffin III, aka RG3, who also made spectacular plays with both his arm and his legs. As spectacular as the Commanders’ win over the Bears was, Daniels is now entering the kind of scenario that led to Griffin’s downfall.
Where the Jayden Daniels story meets RG3
To clarify, let’s backtrack a little. Daniels entered the draft as a Heisman trophy winner who shot up NFL draft boards after a stunning season at LSU. He flashed as a playmaker, but there were concerns about how he would fare at the next level.
One was his supposed lack of a big arm, which has proven to be a non-issue. Jayden Daniels has made more than his share of longer throws, and he’s been especially accurate for a rookie. His arm strength may not measure up against the likes of Justin Herbert, but big plays haven’t been a problem.
The second issue, though, is the potential injury problem. Daniels’ relatively slight frame was a concern coming out of college, mostly because he took some big hits in the SEC. We all knew those hits wouldn’t be any easier to take at the NFL, but Daniels has proven remarkably adept at avoiding them.
When RG3 came into the NFL, he had some analogous injury issues. He suffered a serious ankle injury at Baylor, which made NFL personnel types and scouts wonder how long he’d be able to run with abandon as a pro.
Those concerns played out, and when they did Griffin’s situation was badly mismanaged. Mike Shanahan was Washington’s coach back then, and he absolutely loved using RG3 for RPO’s and zone read runs in which the quarterback ran wide and made amazing plays with his legs.
Except when he didn’t. RG3 got hurt early in a playoff game against Seattle back in 2013, but Shanahan kept calling running plays, and that was the beginning of the quarterback’s downward spiral. RG3’s knee issues included an ACL, LCL and meniscus tear in the eventual loss, and he was never really the same after that. Griffin was treated as if he was completely disposable, and now he’s doing podcasts and media work.
How history could repeat itself with Jayden Daniels
While some would argue that the NFL is a softer league than it was a decade ago, quarterbacks keep dropping like flies, especially with the longer schedule. The younger ones seem especially prone to this unfortunate injury trend, largely because many of them rely so much more on their legs to make plays.
To be fair, Washington did take precautions. They signed Marcus Mariota, who proved invaluable when Daniels sustained his rib injury against the Panthers. Mariota did what experience backups are supposed to do—he held down the fort against an inferior opponent, and the Commanders won in a route, 40-7.
But the Bears are a real football team, and Daniels was clearly laboring at times against them. His throws didn’t have the same zip, and perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Daniels’ Hail Mary throw was that he was able to get the ball to the end zone at all.
Can the Commanders save Jayden Daniels from himself?
Now comes the hard part. Washington is about to run the division gauntlet, with games against the Giants, Eagles and Cowboys coming up, along with a home game where they’ll face the tough Steelers defense.
Daniels will undoubtedly want to play in all these games, but one hard hit is all it would take to compromise his career. He was limited in practice this week, so It would probably make sense for Washington to use Mariota against the Giants. But that’s probably not going to happen.
There’s no right way to handle this issue, and the Commanders know this. Washington is making all the right noises about protecting Daniels, but caution often goes out the window when you’re in the middle of a magical season and there’s a playoff berth on the line. It’s one part of the Jayden Daniels storyline that bears watching going forward, and it could easily become the key to Washington’s future, both for the rest of this season and in the future.