Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels had a wildly successful first season, leading his team to the NFC Championship Game and winning AP offensive rookie of the year.
But that doesn’t automatically mean he’ll be able to pick up right where he left off when the Commanders take on the Giants to open the season on Sept. 7.
Given Daniels’ work ethic, however, veteran teammate Zach Ertz is particularly confident that the quarterback will continue to progress in Year 2.
“[I think he had a phenomenal year last year](https://x.com/UpAndAdamsShow/status/1945555282286760209),” Ertz said in an interview with Kay Adams this week. “And I think when he goes back and watches the film, I, as a tight end, can’t exactly say what he needs to improve on. But I know there’s always things in this league that you can improve on. Going into my 13th year, there’s things that I’m continually trying to get better at. And, really, that’s all sports. That’s the best part about sports, is you can always find something to work on because no one is a perfect player. So for Jayden, I’m sure it’s just little things — consistency, footwork, timing, whatever it is. There’s something that he is working on because he’s a guy who loves to put in the work, loves the process, and has very, very high standards for himself.
“He has such high confidence in himself because he wants to be so great that it really resonates with the rest of the guys on the field and on the team with him. So, from the outside looking in, you could say he had a phenomenal year. But in the back of his mind, he’s saying, ‘I could be better this year.’ And it’s crazy going into his second year, how good he was last year. But he’s going to have that mentality for, hopefully, the next 15 years.”
Being in the league for a while and seeing his share of quarterbacks, Ertz has an appreciation for how Daniels performs and how he handles himself.
“His humility — the thing about Jayden is, things really haven’t changed,” Ertz said. “He’s such a humble guy. He is just one of the guys. And oftentimes, when you see guys come in that were drafted as high as he was, that won the Heisman — they come in with almost an ego. And Jayden was just a guy that wanted to learn. I think that’s so rare, and I think that speaks about the type of person he is, the type of person that he’ll continue to be.
“Yeah, his confidence, his comfort in the offense has grown from last year when first he came in to now — the offseason, OTAs. His demeanor, his ability to execute, yeah, it’s improved. But the person has not changed at all.”
Daniels completed 69 percent of his passes last season for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 891 yards with six TDs. In three postseason games, he completed 66 percent of his throws for 822 yards with five touchdowns and one pick.