Why Commanders' Jayden Daniels notices 'night and day' difference ahead of second season

NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted in June how the Washington Commanders retaining offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and other assistant coaches could help quarterback Jayden Daniels take a massive leap coming off a stellar rookie season. 

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Daniels addressed the "night and day" difference he has noticed in his development this summer compared to where he was roughly 12 months ago. 

"It's being more comfortable in the offense," Daniels explained, as shared by John Keim of ESPN. "I understand what Kliff is calling and what we want to accomplish as an offense. I have different tools in my tool belt to get to different protections, to get to different runs versus certain looks."

Daniels ran away with Offensive Player of the Year Award honors after he finished the 2024 regular season seventh in the league with 4,459 combined passing and rushing yards. He was also ninth with 31 combined passing and rushing touchdowns. 

Per ESPN stats, Daniels was then responsible for a league-best 86.0 adjusted QBR during the playoffs as he guided Washington to the NFC Championship Game. Daniels and Co. fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in that conference title clash. 

As of Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Daniels fifth among the betting favorites at +750 odds to claim the MVP Award for the upcoming campaign. At that same time, DraftKings had Washington sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX. 

To achieve this, Daniels may need to grow as an on-the-field and behind-the-scenes leader. According to Keim, part of that process involves Daniels kicking teammates out of the huddle when they commit mistakes during training-camp practices. 

"I'm the one that has to uphold the standard," Daniels said. "If guys are false-starting, it's next guy up. I hold myself accountable. If I mess up, I look to [veteran tight end Zach Ertz] and guys like that to hold me accountable."

Daniels will face a tough challenge in Week 1 when Washington hosts the New York Giants, who feature pass-rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns and rookie Abdul Carter. If Daniels aces that test on Sept. 7, he and his Commanders could be in for a special season.