Franchise legend sings praises of Commanders' Jayden Daniels

Months before Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels cemented himself as the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winner who led the club to the divisional round of the ongoing postseason tournament, he mentioned during a news conference that franchise legend and Commanders senior advisor Doug Williams had been "a mentor to me since I got here." 

Williams understandably is impressed by what he's seen from Daniels since last spring. 

"You’ve got to give him props for respecting the game," Williams said about Daniels during a recent chat with Ben Standig of The Athletic. "Not only that, though: He respects everybody else. That’s the good part about him. Nothing he does is fake. He’s a good person. He’s a good human being. He understands who he is, what he is and where he’s at, and what he has to deal with."

Daniels emerged this past summer as Washington's Week 1 starter and ultimately helped the club enter the playoffs at 12-5. Per the StatMuse website, he finished the regular season ranked seventh in the NFL with a combined 4,459 passing and rushing yards, and he was ninth with a combined 31 passing and rushing touchdowns. According to Pro Football Reference, he ended Week 18 ranked fourth in the league among qualified players with a 70.5 adjusted QBR. 

In this past Sunday's 23-20 wild-card playoff win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Daniels completed 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He also picked up a massive first down with his legs in the contest's final minute that set Washington up for what became a game-winning field goal. 

"His play has shown everybody how you handle it," Williams said about how the 24-year-old has dealt with the expectations that come with being an advertised franchise savior who was selected with the second overall pick of a draft. "You talk about pressure. I’m a firm believer that Jayden, as an athlete, is going to put pressure on himself." 

Williams became the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl when he guided the now-Commanders to a 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII on Jan. 31, 1988. It sounds like he believes Daniels could follow in his footsteps sooner rather than later. 

"I think we got the right person," Williams added about Daniels. "We just got to add pieces. It’s all about the pieces you bring in. He upholds his part, and that’s the most important thing."

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Commanders as massive 9.5-point underdogs for the upcoming Saturday night divisional-round game at the top-seeded Detroit Lions. If nothing else, Williams seems to think the moment won't be too big for Daniels at Ford Field.