Dan Quinn praises Jayden Daniels for progress, work he's put in since being drafted

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is thrilled with the progress Jayden Daniels has made this offseason. On Tuesday, Quinn raved about his rookie quarterback.

“This guy came in with really excellent football characteristics, in terms of command and huddle and vision,” Quinn said. “What you probably don’t see is the amount of offense and defense that the coaches put in.

“For him, to absolutely nail that and go early and say, ‘I have that. I have it.’ There was a lot of work put in from the studying spot. Not only do the physical traits show up, it’s the work ethic. Through the season, you guys will feel that and see that. This is a guy that really puts it in.”

Daniels’ work ethic was obvious in college, as well. The former LSU standout was spectacular in the 2023 campaign, completing 236-of-327 passes for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He also rushed for 1,134 yards and another 10 scores.

He became the first LSU Tiger to win the Heisman Trophy since Joe Burrow brought home the hardware in 2019. Daniels led the nation in total offense (4,946) in the regular season, touchdowns responsible for (50), passer rating (208.0), yards per pass attempt (11.7) and rushing yards by a quarterback (1,134).

In his five-year collegiate career, Daniels amassed 953 completions for 12,749 yards, 89 touchdowns and 20 interceptions while completing 66.3% of his passes. In the ground game, Daniels collected 3,307 rushing yards and 37 scores.

Quinn believes Daniels’ vast experience has prepared him for the next level.

“Getting out of a bad play, here comes a blitz to this side, get to the check, get to something else,” Quinn said of Daniels’ strengths. “Knowing where to go with the correct read. And at the end of it, it’s just having command, honestly — whether it’s in the huddle or at the line of scrimmage.

“This guy has had a lot of starts and a lot of experience that showed up early when he first started here and it continues right now.”

Jayden Daniels is not changing his approach

Earlier this offseason, Daniels explained his approach to the new environment.

“Just being myself, being a hard worker. Don’t try to be somebody I’m not, you know, people see real from fake, authentic and who’s not,” Daniels said. “Just be myself. Try to make connections, you know, talk to people obviously.

“I’m 23. It’s a lot of different age ranges in this locker room. So, trying to relate as much as possible. Show them I’m all about the team, I’m all about hard work and I’m just here to get better each and every day.”