Jayden Daniels is the mobile quarterback the Washington Commanders‘ offense is looking for. These are the words of none other than the Commanders’ recently departed head coach Ron Rivera.
It didn’t take long for Rivera to bag another job. But instead of landing another coaching gig, football fans witnessed the 62-year-old’s TV debut as an analyst on Wednesday’s edition of NFL Live on ESPN.
After registering a 26-40-1 record, the new owners at Washington fired Rivera on January 8. He still has lingering desires to return to coaching; he was even interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator posts. However, both franchises decided to pass him on, hiring Vic Fangio and Mike Zimmer, respectively.
During his appearance on ESPN, Adam Schefter put Rivera on the spot, asking him to dissect the quarterback situation at his former employers.
Rivera said:
You have to look at the style of offense they’re going to run. You’ve got Kliff Kingsbury, a guy that likes the mobile quarterback that can move in the pocket and can make the plays when they’re downfield . Ron Rivera said
Ron Rivera makes the case for Jayden Daniels
CBS Sports Josh Edwards was possibly the first to attract attention for the commanders to draft Jayden Daniels. Edwards wrote:
I think everyone's assumption has been that Drake Maye is going to be taken second once Caleb Williams is gone. While I do believe that is the most likely outcome, it would be naïve not to acknowledge that other possibilities exist. Jayden Daniels had a better season in 2023 than [Maye]. Josh Edwards wrote
Rivera spoke in the same tone. Similar to Edwards, he acknowledged that USC QB Caleb Williams will be the first pick in the draft. When it comes to being a mobile quarterback who is also a very good pocket passer, Williams is one of the few who can do both. So the close second is?
Rivera said:
Jayden Daniels. [That's] because of the fact that everybody expects Caleb Williams to go first. If this is the style of offense you’re going to have, you’ve got to have that type of quarterback. A guy that can, again, move around in the [pocket], hold onto the football, find guys downfield. Ron Rivera said
Although most Washington fans would perhaps take Ron Rivera’s words with a grain of salt, he does make some valid points. Daniels is one of the best two-way threat quarterbacks coming out of college football this year.
In 12 games last season for LSU Tigers, he recorded 236 completions for a career-high of 3,812 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions, for a completion percentage of 72.2. Not only that, he carried the ball 135 times, gaining 1,134 rushing yards and scoring 10 touchdowns en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.
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