“Why Not Jayden? To us, he is special in every way!” said General Manager Adam Peters, after drafting Jayden Daniels as the second pick in round one. HC Dan Quinn was also thrilled by Daniels’ performance on the field. The reason is the Washington Commanders’ mandatory minicamp, where he showed off his impressive running ability.
In a drill simulation near midfield, the Commanders were down 21-20 and needed to get into field goal range. Daniels rolled to his right, found an opening, and secured a first down. Despite the public support from his teammates and GM, Daniels isn’t getting special treatment internally. Coach Quinn thinks there are other things he needs to master first.
Jayden Daniels asked to be ‘comfortable’ with role execution for quality results
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Dan Quinn, a second try to become a prolific NFL coach, addressed the media on 11th June before the Day 1 minicamp. When asked about the expectations for Daniels to become the starting quarterback and what he needs to show to earn that confidence. Quinn emphasized the importance of how well Daniels and other young players execute their roles “The expectation is just to see how familiar he is with the concepts, making sure all right this one we want to keep, this one we don’t, in terms of the things that he has the most comfort with.”
Besides this, the 53-year-old addressed Daniels’ first pitch, at Nationals Park on Sunday. He humorously embarrassed the QB joking, “It’s a good thing he’s throwing here and not down at the ballpark.”
However, Daniels still needs to meet his coach’s expectations. He has already made a few fans in his team.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Jayden Daniels is showing his magic in the facility!
Jayden Daniels’ camp performances are building confidence among his teammates. On Tuesday, several teammates praised him, including wide receiver Terry McLaurin. McLaurin believes, “He’s (Jayden) going to be a really good player because of the time and the work that he puts in.” Explaining how he is proactive in practicing routes and seeking extra reps, which facilitates better communication.
McLaurin’s words for him were “very charismatic, really personable, approachable, prepared, talented, humble and confident.” Besides McLaurin, left guard Nick Allegretti iterated that Daniels arrives at the facility very early, before 6:30 a.m., and interacts well with teammates, though he isn’t very loud. Allegretti appreciated Daniels’ approach of understanding his role first and then stepping up as a leader on the field.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The support and backing of the rookie QB is going in the right direction, giving him an edge over his competitors for the starting position.