After a 38-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in which the devastation of another blowout loss paled in comparison to the devastation of Jayden Daniels‘ dislocated elbow in the waning moments, coach Dan Quinn altered between frustration, disbelief, anger and sadness.
What else was there to feel? The Washington Commanders‘ season had already gone off the rails, and Daniels had suffered yet another injury, his third on this disastrous season but his first that came in true garbage time. A day later, Quinn admitted he made a mistake having Daniels in the game. But on this dreary Sunday night in the bowels of Northwest Stadium, he had to confront the biggest question: Could the Commanders protect Daniels?
“I think the answer to that is we will give him the support to do that,” Quinn said. “And I’m certain of that, to make sure we do that in every single way. And that’s … offense, defense, the whole way through, man. I absolutely feel that way on the hamstring injury and tonight with an elbow. It’s really important we get that part right, and we will.”
Daniels returned five weeks after the elbow dislocation, landed on the afflicted elbow, aggravated the injury, and left the game. Luckily, the fall didn’t cause any further structural damage to the elbow. The Commanders initially only ruled him out for the next game. Then they finally shut him down for the season.
The final tally was dispiriting. Daniels played in seven games. He exited three of them early due to injury. He suffered three different injuries — a knee sprain in Week 2, a hamstring strain in Week 7 and an elbow dislocation in Week 9 — and an aggravation of that third injury. He went from Offensive Rookie of the Year sensation to sidelined sophomore. His team went from Cinderella story to dregs of the league, a spot the franchise knows all too well.
In fact, one could argue they know this quarterback timeline all too well, too.
Back in 2012, Washington had another dual-threat Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback who led the team to a surprising playoff berth behind a fancy new offense, suffered an injury and had a disappointing second season. He was never the same.
The comparisons between Daniels and Robert Griffin III should end there, though.
First and foremost, the injuries are completely different. Daniels played his entire rookie year before suffering three separate injuries his second season, none of which were season-ending. Griffin tore his ACL and suffered other knee damage at the end of his 2012 rookie season. He had suffered a sprained LCL in the same knee just weeks earlier and had already been playing with a brace on the knee. He also had torn the same ACL in college.
Then, he rushed back in 2013. Adidas produced an “All In For Week 1” ad campaign centered around Griffin. Griffin has admitted playing at all in 2013 — much less in Week 1 — is the biggest regret of his career. He recently told “The Dan Patrick Show” that he’d tell Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons — both of whom tore their ACLs in Week 15 — they shouldn’t play at all in 2026.
Not only has Daniels not suffered any injuries of that degree, but he’s been held out from returning to multiple games he wanted to reenter. The team has been in lockstep ensuring Daniels misses the time he needs to miss.
“We will just kind of go through the whole process with him, and we’re not going to miss it either,” Quinn said after Week 2. “With Jayden, we know how important he is, and so we’re just going to kind of take it. That’s why I truly say it’s day by day to make sure that he can absolutely be himself.”
That’s a departure from the Griffin years marked by internal turmoil that has been well-documented.
There have been no signs of any of that in current-day Washington. Daniels has been widely praised for his diligent work ethic, and he and Quinn have a strong relationship. Current owner Josh Harris has been a revelation compared to Snyder.
Finally, there’s a significant difference between Daniels and Griffin as quarterbacks. Griffin was a byproduct of Kyle Shanahan’s zone read-heavy scheme that changed the NFL. As teams figured that out — and with Griffin unable to return to his level of athleticism prior to his torn ACL — he became less and less effective.
After a 1.3% interception rate in 2012, Griffin’s interception rates ballooned to 2.6%, 2.8% and 2.0% in his next three seasons. He was never a starter again. Daniels had a 1.9% interception rate as a rookie, and it actually fell to 1.3% in his second season. Furthermore, Griffin’s sack rates increased every season, including 13.4% in 2014, his final season in Washington and his first outside the Shanahan system. Daniels’ sack rate went down from 8.9% last season to 8.7% this season.
This isn’t a slight to Griffin, whose career fell off quickly for several reasons, not all of which were his fault. But just because it’s easy to compare Griffin and Daniels — faces of the Washington franchise, former Heisman Trophy winners, No. 2 overall picks, Offensive Rookie of the Year winners, mobile quarterbacks, disappointing second seasons — doesn’t mean it’s apt. Given the nature of the injuries, the trajectory of Griffin’s career after his injury and the surrounding situations, the idea that Daniels is becoming Griffin is a lazy assertion.
That doesn’t mean, however, that the Commanders can stand idly by and dismiss a disastrous 2025 season due to injury misfortune and a plethora of other issues.
Washington must be diligent to help restore Daniels’ path to stardom — one that seemed certain just months ago — and Daniels must follow in kind.
In short, Quinn’s words can’t be empty promises. Here are five ways Washington and its quarterback can ensure they won’t be.
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1. Daniels must learn to protect himself
Even though he only completed three of his seven games, Daniels was contacted on 11.7 plays per game this season. That’s the third-highest rate among quarterbacks, only behind Justin Fields (benched) and Justin Herbert, who is 6-foot-6 and 236 pounds, much larger than the slender Daniels (6-foot-4, 210 pounds).
Simply put, Daniels takes too many hits. He was contacted on a league-high 12.4 plays per game last year, the fourth-highest rate in the league. Mobile quarterbacks tend to take more hits, but Daniels can do a better job avoiding them.
One area Daniels can improve upon is sliding, an issue that goes back to Daniels’ very first preseason game. Quinn jokingly put Daniels on “double secret probation” after he didn’t slide on a run in his unofficial NFL debut. Daniels also ran through a pair of defenders in the 2025 preseason instead of sliding. Both times, he mentioned his competitiveness as reasons he didn’t slide.
Competitiveness is fine. It’s very good, in fact — a requisite for a professional athlete. But so, too, are smarts, availability and longevity. Daniels isn’t the first young quarterback to learn this in the pros, and he won’t be the last.
“I think the number one [are for growth] is that competitive spot for him and also those decisions to protect the team, to know when to get down, when to slide, when to throw it out of bounds,” Quinn said. “And so, most of those come on a dropback pass where you’re outside the pocket and it’s typical for a lot of quarterbacks who are outside the pocket, what do you do? It’s scrambles, it’s part of what we track every week defensively. Scramble to run, to throw, where the sack’s coming from.”
The Commanders made several win-now moves over the past season and a half, a development that led to the team having the oldest team in the NFL by a significant margin. The biggest win-now move was sending a 2025 third-round pick, a 2025 seventh-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Houston Texans for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and a 2025 fourth-round pick.
Amid a down season for the franchise and inconsistent returns from many of the players added in win-now moves, Tunsil shone. He is the seventh highest-graded offensive tackle in Pro Football Focus’ grades and third in pass blocking. His 84.7 grade this season is on track to be the best of his career.
Tunsil, 31, is well worth investing in again. Top-tier left tackles are rare; that’s why Washington went after Tunsil with such aggression. It’s unlikely that Washington would give away so much draft capital for just one season of Tunsil.
Ever since the Commanders settled on a starting five — from left to right: Tunsil, Chris Paul, Tyler Biadasz, Sam Cosmi and Josh Conerly Jr. — they’ve had one of the best pass-protecting units in the NFL. Conerly only turned 22 last month and has made immense strides this season. Biadasz and Cosmi, who has rounded into form after returning from a torn ACL, are both under contract next year. Washington would do well to ensure the same for Tunsil.
3. Add speed at wide receiver, pass catcher
Even with the addition of Deebo Samuel Sr., Washington came into the season paper thin at wide receiver, a weakness that was exposed throughout training camp without Terry McLaurin. After finally getting a contract extension, McLaurin started slow and then suffered a quad injury. He played in just four of Washington’s first 12 games. The team has also been without its top deep threat, Noah Brown, for almost the entire season.
Washington needs to add speed and explosiveness all over its roster, pass catcher especially. The Commanders are 26th in yards after catch per reception and 25th in percentage of touches that go 20+ yards. They need a more reliable downfield threat opposite McLaurin. Impending free agent Alec Pierce has evolved from almost exclusively a deep threat to a well-rounded receiver and could be a fit.
It’s not just at wide receiver, though. Dependable tight end Zach Ertz tore his ACL and might not be back next season. John Bates is primarily a blocking tight end, and 2024 second-round rookie Ben Sinnott is unproven.
Then, at running back, Austin Ekeler tore his Achiles and missed almost all of the season. His absence showed up across the board, with responsibilities falling to seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt and veterans Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols. Washington’s rushing effectiveness plummeted this season: Washington’s running backs are 12th in rushing success rate in 2025 after being fourth in 2024. Croskey-Merritt shows flashes, Rodriguez is a bruiser, and McNichols is dependable on passing downs. Still, upgrades could be in store.
4. Consider adding more under-center elements to the offense
This would be a considerable philosophical departure for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who has always run one of the NFL’s most shotgun-heavy offenses. Washington has been under center on 10% of its plays this season, by far the lowest rate in the NFL; Cincinnati is second-lowest at 17%, and the league average is 35%. Washington was also last in 2024.
“I think with Jayden starting off, comfort level more than anything, we want to tailor offense to what he is used to, comfortable with and does the best,” Kingsbury said in November. “But you’ve seen certain teams have a lot of success under center, a lot of teams have had success in shotgun, so I don’t think there’s a right or wrong. I think it’s playing to your personnel and maximizing what you want to do offensively.”
Under center is back en vogue in the NFL.
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There’s a correlation between under center rates and success rate + explosive play rates. That the Commanders have still performed decently is a testament to Kingsbury, Marcus Mariota and an improving offensive line.
Not only would being under center more make Washington a better offense — it has shown, league-wide, to be a more effective way to run the ball — but it could also help take some heat off Daniels. Fewer reads and RPOs means fewer hits. Under center play action helps freeze pass rushers and linebackers for a moment or two better than shotgun play action does. It also can provide more quick, easy answers.
Kingsbury doesn’t have to become Sean McVay. But even incorporating under-center formations just a little bit more could go a long way.
5. Overhaul the defense
The lone non-offensive adjustment might be the most important — for Daniels, for the offense, for everyone.
The Commanders’ defense has been awful. The Commanders rank 31st in points per drive allowed, takeaways per drive and three-and-out rate forced.
Washington cannot defend the pass. The Commanders’ 8.0 net yards per pass attempt is tracking to be the worst by any team since 2020. Out of 1,669 individual seasons since the 1970 AFL-NFL meerger, Washington’s net yards per pass attempt allowed ranks 1,655th. Put another way, there are only 14 worse seasons over the last 56 years.
Washington needs upgrades everywhere, with pass rusher at the top of the list. But Washington could move on from 35-year-old linebacker Bobby Wagner as well. Wagner is a future Hall of Famer and still a tremendous tackler, but he has struggled in coverage. He also calls the plays defensively, so that is a crucial spot.
Promising rookie cornerback Trey Amos had his season cut short, but even with him and Mike Sainristil back, Washington must improve its cornerbacks and safeties. The Commanders will also be counting on significant internal improvement, too. There are some young pieces, many of whom had down seasons.
A better defense means less stress on Daniels to make so many plays. All of his injuries came in games the Commanders were chasing as the defense struggled.
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Big offseason ahead
The Commanders are projected to have over $60 million in effective cap space this offseason, sixth-most in the NFL, and their first draft pick — which will be in the top 10 — is of paramount importance. While they are without some later draft picks, they can focus on a significant free-agent haul, a group that can help now and in the future.
Think of the New England Patriots‘ 2025 offseason. New England drafted Will Campbell fourth overall to solidify Drake Maye’s offensive line but also hit it big in free agency with Stefon Diggs, Milton Williams, Carlton Davis III, Robert Spillane, Harold Landry III, K’Lavon Chaisson, Khyiris Tonga and Mack Hollins, among others. Washington GM Adam Peters has a big offseason ahead, one full of both great power and great responsibility.
Washington and Daniels may have been two of the league’s biggest disappointments this year. That doesn’t preclude either from bouncing back in 2025.
