It didn't take long for the critics to surface once the Washington Commanders suffered a humbling loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. And inevitably, quarterback Jayden Daniels was tabbed as the primary scapegoat.
While Daniels hasn't performed well, he's way down the list of Washington's problems right now. This led one NFL analyst to suggest that this aging roster might not have what it takes to get its signal-caller into the truly elite category.
Daniels hasn't hit the meteoric heights of last season as yet. It's also extremely early in the process. It was always going to take time to get back into the groove, and he's come up against two formidable defensive fronts to begin the campaign.
Critics are alread coming for Jayden Daniels and Commanders' aging roster
Even so, fans and analysts were expecting more. Daniels knows he must be better. He also has the resolve needed to shake off this below-average start sooner rather than later.
Until then, the media will twist the knife. Bill Simmons from The Ringer was among them, claiming that Daniels doesn't look like the sort of player who could lift a team, especially one with so many in the twilight of their respective careers.
"The case for the Commanders this year was that even though there are all these regression signs, have an older team and a much harder schedule, this was the year that Jayden Daniel shows that I need to be put in that Josh Allen, Lamar, Mahomes [conversation]. If I'm on your team, you're going to win between 11 and 13 games because I'm on your team. And the way he's played the first two games, it is not. Not looked like he is that guy, but we'll see. It's a long season ... This is when you have a bunch of old guys, the fear is the old guys aren't going to hold up over the course of the season. So you've already lost one."
Bill Simmons
Any warning signs for the Commanders and Jayden Daniels? pic.twitter.com/SrcIoYHc9W
— The Ringer (@ringer) September 12, 2025
The sophomore slump around Daniels was the offseason's biggest talking point. Nobody associated with the Commanders is worried about that. Still, improvements must be made to keep comments like Simmons' from becoming an ongoing trend.
Going into the season with the NFL's oldest roster was always a risk. Their aging bodies are already battered and bruised after a short week. Deatrich Wise Jr. is out for the season. Austin Ekeler might follow him in the coming days if his reported torn Achilles is confirmed. Blocking tight end John Bates' groin complication is another body blow, so it's not hard to see why pessimism is growing.
Daniels has a lot on his plate, and the knee injury that was serious enough to get an MRI is worth monitoring. However, those questioning the LSU product at this early stage never believed in him, to begin with.
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