Dan Quinn quotes 'Top Gun,' says Jayden Daniels 'buzzed the tower' in NFL preseason debut

Jayden Daniels didn’t waste any time making an impact in his NFL preseason debut. He found Dyami Brown for a 42-yard pass for his first completion with the Washington Commanders as part of a big day.

As it turns out, that wasn’t the initial play call. Kliff Kingsbury dialed up something else, and Dan Quinn said Daniels went full Maverick from the movie Top Gun.

Early in the movie, after arriving at the title academy, Maverick famously asks permission to buzz the tower. He was told not do, but ended up doing so anyway in an iconic scene. Quinn said that’s what Daniels did on the play that was called, instead turning into a 42-yard shot for a first down.

“I thought of Top Gun: ‘Do I have permission to buzz the tower?'” Quinn said after the game. “‘No, Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.’

“I think on that one, he wanted to ask for forgiveness and not permission, and then throw an absolute dime over the top to Dyami to go. … He did not ask for permission. He went ahead and buzzed the tower anyway. It was a really good play.”

That play came on 3rd and 6 for Washington and was part of an impressive opening drive from Daniels. He capped it off with a rushing touchdown on an option play and also found his mom in the crowd to give her the ball. All told, he ended the day completing 2 of 3 passes for 45 yards, along with the three-yard score.

But the pass to Brown stood out as Daniels showed off his arm strength right away. To Quinn, it also showed some of the intangibles that made the former LSU star such an intriguing prospect as the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

“It was a really cool play,” Quinn said. “I think it probably illustrates, for him, the awareness and checks and things that go into it.”

Jayden Daniels opened eyes in training camp after the Commanders drafted fresh off a Heisman Trophy-winning season at LSU. The franchise listed him as QB1 on the depth chart, ahead of Marcus Mariota, prior to the preseason opener against New York.

It’s safe to say, Daniels is in prime position to be the Commanders’ starting quarterback when Week 1 comes around. They have two more preseason games before the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sept. 8.