Dec 22, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) celebrates after throwing a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Commanders offensive coordinator expects Jayden Daniels to take major leap

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated May 28, 2025 3:30 PM ET

The Washington Commanders want to maximize their window of competing for Super Bowls.

Last season, after an overhaul of the organization and coaching staff, the Commanders burst onto the scene as contenders in large part due to drafting their franchise quarterback, Jayden Daniels.

Daniels will be entering his second year as the starting quarterback in Washington and will have a roster built around him that allows for his talent to truly show, especially after the acquisition of Deebo Samuel.

With everything coming together for the Commanders to make a run at the NFC East and a Super Bowl, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury spoke about what is next for his star quarterback following the team's first day of OTAs.

“I would expect him to take another big step,” Kingsbury said of Daniels. “I think throughout my career, just guys that I've been able to work with in year two, the biggest deal is just the ownership of the offense and the mastery of it and where they are very comfortable in checks."

There is no mistake about the impact Kingsbury has had on quarterbacks. He has worked with a slew of them, from Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M, Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals, and even Caleb Williams at USC.

Needless to say, Kingsbury knows what he is doing. Daniels and Kingsbury seemed to hit it off immediately, and their connection helped turn the former into the Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL. Now, in his sophomore season, Daniels will be tasked with not slumping and continuing his development, which entails a wide variety of things, according to Kingsbury.

Kingsbury decided to retain his title of offensive coordinator in Washington rather than bolt for a head coaching gig. This decision likely had a lot to do with what he expects from the Commanders and the ability to continue working with Daniels, who still has plenty to learn despite seeing such immediate success.

The combo of the two helped the Commanders become one of the best teams in the league a season ago, and they are hopeful that their continued growth alongside one another will net an even better return on investment.