ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Jayden Daniels hasn’t given much thought to how he spent half a season as an NFL quarterback.

“I still have a long way to go,” he said. “After my rookie year is over, I’ll sit back and think.”

This is good. The rest of the sport has a lot to say About Daniels is taking the league by storm and leading the Washington Commanders to their own goals. First 7-2 start since 1996 and not only is he the favorite for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award, but he’s also firmly inserted himself into the MVP conversation.

“You’ve got to stop calling him a rookie quarterback,” senior tight end Zach Ertz said. “He could be a rookie point guard in terms of his years in this league. But his maturity and poise is that of a 10-year vet.”

Daniels’ breakout season comes as no surprise to those familiar with his San Bernadino, Calif., native during his tenure at Arizona State and then LSU, where he blossomed into 2023. Heisman Trophy winner And Second pick in the draft. Teammates and coaches who became friends over the years saw a player determined to be the best and a person humble enough to make the past nine weeks seem like just the beginning of a long career that has no limits to what Daniels can accomplish.

beginning

Taking over the pressure of being the face of Washington for an organization decades removed from its glory days didn’t seem to touch Daniels, who said his teammates have taken the same approach since the first day of offseason workouts. Hail Mary touchdown pass Noah Brown in Week 8 beat chicago.

This is one of his top 163 completions in 228 attempts; A 71.5% success rate ranks among the best QBs at any experience level in the NFL. He threw for nine touchdowns, ran for four more and had just two interceptions.

“He doesn’t turn the ball over a lot,” said Herm Edwards, who coached Daniels for three seasons at Arizona State. “This is not part of his DNA. That’s not what’s happening. When he has a football in his hand, whether he’s throwing or running, you never worry about it. “Obviously he’s become a smarter runner, and that’s needed in this league.”

The biggest blow for Daniels came at the end of a long run when he injured his ribs and landed awkwardly. He left the game – Carolina’s 40-7 defeat – and he could have played if the stakes were higher, then a week later he was immediately back on the field.

Daniels, even with aching ribsHe threw for 535 yards and three TDs and rushed 16 times for 87 yards.

“It’s no surprise to me,” said San Francisco receiver Brandon Aiyuk, Daniels’ teammate at Arizona State. “He’s a very nice guy. He’s really good. “He was always so nice.”

contestant

Malik Nabers I had heard rumors about Daniels when he transferred to LSU in 2022, and his first season ended with spectacular numbers: 17 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 10-4 record. Later, after training with CJ Stroud and others in California, Nabers noticed a change in Daniels’ mentality and attitude.

“It was like tearing apart the defense,” said Nabers, the sixth overall pick in the draft and currently the No. 1 receiver for the NFC East rival New York Giants. “He was working extra, staying extra long, making sure we watched our plays after practice. He was the ultimate leader. I think that’s what he changed: He became the ultimate leader and started leading by example, leading with vocals and just taking over the offense.”

Daniels led the nation with 40 TD passes in 2023, rushed for 10 more and won the Heisman trophy as the final accomplishment of his college career. But the early arrivals and late arrivals didn’t stop, from brief walk-throughs with rookie receiver Luke McCaffrey in the team’s practice bubble before spring practices to night coach Dan Quinn observing Daniels studying film after dark between games during Commanders week in Arizona.

“There’s no magic in this. … He really puts in the work,” Quinn said. “There’s no magic fairy dust we throw into it. “It’s absolutely perfect, it works and there’s a lot of confidence coming from that.”

Innovator

It’s not just sweat equity. At LSU, Daniels underwent cognitive processing tests on a computer and, with Jack Marucci, the school’s director of performance innovation, developed a program involving a virtual reality headset to fulfill his expectations.

“You could see his efficiency, his speed, and how he was scanning,” Marucci said, noting that Daniels took 250 more photos a week and another 2,600 during the season. “It’s about knowing and anticipating where he’s going to end up, and now you have to make a point on the field.”

Daniels is still using the VR device. offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury It is “all in one”.

“It’s been a great tool, not just for me, but for other quarterbacks as well, guys who want to go out there and get the edge and get reps without having to physically do something,” Daniels said.

Connection

Kingsbury interviewed for multiple jobs in the NFL. After coaching Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals and then Caleb Williams (as a consultant) at Southern California, he had the chance to work with Daniels, who was drafted a few months after being hired in Washington. and the Commanders spoke very sensibly.

“Kliff Kingsbury is an outstanding fit for him,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said. “And their style of offense, I think it’s perfect for him.”

Cam Taylor-Britt teased it was “simple” and “a nice college offense.” Daniels burned The Cincinnati Bengals cornerback and his teammates completed 21-of-23 passing for 254 yards and two touchdowns. 38-33 win in prime time on “Monday Night Football.”

When the Bears-Commanders game was televised on national TV, it provided Daniels’ signature moment so far, when he scrambled for nearly 13 seconds to loft a fly pass 65 yards before tipping over and landing in Brown’s hands in the end zone. .

Edwards, who still texts Daniels regularly, almost hinted that he would talk about the 23-year-old two weeks before the Chicago game.

“He has the ability to extend plays, and what he does — and people can already see that, and it’s not luck — is he can throw the deep ball,” said Edwards, now an ESPN analyst. “He can throw accurately while running or from the pocket. He has the feeling to throw the ball down the field.”

Calm

The Hail Mary was an example of what everyone around Daniels praises: his poise under pressure. Edwards calls this Daniels’ “ability to keep his cool when the lights are brightest.”

Terry McLaurin, Washington’s best receiver He said Daniels comes into the league better prepared than most rookies at the most important position in the sport since he was drafted in 2019.

This was obvious even to competitors. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson After leaving Daniels behind He said that his counterpart has proven himself and played great.

“Washington is in good hands with him,” Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith said. “It’s real.”

Only Jackson, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Mahomes and Detroit’s Jared Goff have shorter MVP odds at BetMGM Sportsbook, where Daniels is 10-1. Nabers at the beginning I made a friendly bet of $10,000 Before calling it quits with Daniels on who would be the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, he said his friend’s success stems from a desire to win that he doesn’t see in many others.

“I know he wasn’t afraid of it when it happened in that moment,” Nabers said. “He is not afraid of excitement, of big plays to be made. If the critical moment has come, he wants to play ball.”

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AP Sports Writers Brett Martel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, New Jersey and Josh Dubow in Santa Clara, California, contributed.

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