Coming off a magical 2024 season, where he led the Washington Commanders to their first NFC Championship Game appearance in 33 years, quarterback Jayden Daniels faced immense expectations in 2025. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out, as Daniels dealt with multiple injuries, which cost him 10 games and the Commanders finished 5-12.
Injuries were a big story for Washington last season. Several players missed time, including star wide receiver Terry McLaurin, for the first time in his career. McLaurin’s injury came after missing most of the spring and summer due to a contentious contract standoff with the Commanders. The two sides agreed to a deal just two weeks before Week 1, but the damage was done.
Daniels never looked right last offseason. It didn’t help that his No. 1 target was absent. That carried into the season.
Shortly after the season, Washington parted ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Daniels had an excellent relationship with Kingsbury and wanted him to return. However, the Commanders promoted David Blough to offensive coordinator. Daniels and Blough are also close, so the move was a positive for the third-year quarterback.
So far this offseason, Daniels seems to be off to a great start in Blough’s offense. His teammates have praised his knowledge of the offense.
In his five takeaways from the Commanders’ offseason practices, ESPN’s John Keim named Daniels as one of his takeaways, specifically saying, “Daniels looks like Daniels again.”
Daniels and the offense rarely looked in sync during the spring and summer of 2025. A big part of that stemmed from an offseason holdout by McLaurin, who was Daniels’ No. 1 target the previous season.
McLaurin appears happy this spring. And Daniels, who is coming off an injury-filled season that limited him to four full games and parts of three others, has been more on target than last year.
This has been a consistent theme throughout the offseason. One, McLaurin is happy and motivated. Secondly, Daniels looks comfortable and in control of Blough’s offense, which will feature him under center more in 2026.
Nothing matters until the games begin. But it’s worth noting that Daniels looks much more comfortable this summer, with McLaurin back, than he did at any time last summer. Daniels and McLaurin connected for a total of 15 touchdowns during his rookie season. Their connection is strong. So, despite some concerns about who will start opposite McLaurin, having his No. 1 guy back is huge for Daniels.
In Daniels’ rookie season, McLaurin and tight end Zach Ertz were his top targets. Newly signed tight end Chig Okonkwo could have a huge season in 2026. While there are concerns about who could be the No. 2 receiver, Washington’s receiver room is deeper than it was in each of the last two seasons.
Speaking of the wide receiver position, more help could be on the way.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Optimism for Jayden Daniels is high for 2026
