Getty Image / Greg Fiume
It’s been a struggle for two of the three rookie quarterbacks starting in the NFL so far in Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. But, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has bucked the trend and has had a great start to the year, all things considered.
In fact, it’s a historic start to the season according to at least one stat. That’s something that should have Commanders fans pretty happy.
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner went 2nd-overall out of LSU to a Commanders franchise that is looking for a long-term answer at the quarterback position. So far, he’s certainly shown signs of that.
Through two games, he’s completing 75% of his passes with 410 yards passing. While he hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass (through two weeks, no rookie quarterback has), he hasn’t thrown an interception, either. Only seven quarterbacks have started both games this year and not thrown an interception. And, he’s added 132 yards on 26 carries on the ground with two rushing touchdowns.
Given the amount of times he’s had the ball in his hands through two weeks, the fact that Jayden Daniels hasn’t turned the ball over is really impressive. That’s a big part of why the Commanders were able to beat the Giants, 21-18, despite not scoring a touchdown on Sunday to improve to 1-1.
In fact, according to the NFL, Jayden Daniels is the first quarterback taken in the first round to account for 500 total yards of offense and not turn the ball over in his first two starts since at least 1970. That’s a pretty impressive achievement!
With the Commanders getting to play on national television in Week 3 as they take on the 0-2 Bengals on the road on Monday Night Football, the wider NFL audience will get a chance to watch Jayden Daniels play. Hopefully, he can keep taking care of the ball and playing well.