Every year, various media outlets provide their version of specific rankings. Defensive, offensive, positional rankings, power rankings, etc. The Athletic’s Mike Sando ranks veteran quarterbacks into tiers every year with help from various NFL executives and coaches. Rookies are excluded as they haven’t played a snap in the NFL.
This year’s panel consisted of eight general managers, five assistant GMs, five former GMs and three other executives, plus nine head coaches, 10 defensive coordinators, five offensive coordinators, two offensive assistants, one defensive assistant, and two coaches that specialize in analytics and game management for a grand total of 21 executives and 29 coaches.
Last year, Washington Commanders‘ quarterback Jayden Daniels was ranked as a Tier 2 quarterback, and despite playing in only seven games in 2025, he remains a second-tier quarterback. The panel voted, and Sando ranked the quarterbacks by average vote.
Tier 1 criteria: Carries his team each week, the team wins because of him, expertly handles pure-passing situations, and has no real holes in his game. This category included Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Matt Stafford, and Joe Burrow.
Tier 2 criteria: Carries his team sometimes, handles pure-passing situations in doses, or has other dimensions that elevate him above Tier 3, and has a hole or two in his game. This is where Daniels lands.
2026 QB Tiers is live!!@TheAthletic keeps raising the bar in terms of production quality
This year you can produce your own tiers with your own votes
Link in replies pic.twitter.com/MAy63JiKz5
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) August 4, 2026
The article says, in part:
Daniels proved as a rookie he can be one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the game. His second season amplified durability questions that followed him into the league.
“He’s got to reprove it,” a defensive coach said.
Daniels missed 10 games to injury in his second season and wasn’t nearly as dynamic while Washington posted a 2-5 record in the games he did start.
“I think he is a legitimate ascending 2 assuming (his health) is right,” an offensive coach said.
Daniels suffered the third-largest year-over-year drop after Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa.
“I think he was a little quick to take off and run last year,” an exec said. “They spent a lot of money on that offensive line and drafted some guys, so I think he has to just settle into that position. He has all the talent.”
Calibrating the dual-threat factor in a manner that threatens defenses without threatening Daniels’ physical well-being is the key.
Another offensive coach comparted Daniels to Lamar Jackson, saying that when he can’t run, he’s a Tier 3 quarterback and that he takes too many hits.
Daniels didn’t get a chance to prove much to the league in 2025, which is why he’s out for blood in 2026. He hears the chatter. He knows he has doubters. He knows he has to perform well in 2026, and he’s got a chip on his shoulder about it. He answers questions professionally and politely, and when the offense hits the field for real in September, he plans to show the league just how much he’s grown and what he is truly capable of.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Which QB tier is Commanders’ Jayden Daniels in for 2026?
