The Washington Commanders have made official what's been clear since April 25: Jayden Daniels is the starting quarterback.
Head coach Dan Quinn declared the rookie the Week 1 starter on Monday.
Quinn and the Commanders have played coy with the starting gig, ensuring the rookie proved he could handle the job, but it was apparent when they drafted the 23-year-old signal-caller that the new era would begin immediately.
"We knew we would get here, but we were just excited to see how we would," Quinn told reporters after announcing Daniels had been named the starter. "So, seeing him hit all the spots, this is a rare competitor."
Daniels astutely played along with the ruse, noting in May that the decision on the Week 1 starter was "above me." Then he went out and let his play do the talking.
Quinn told Daniels earlier Monday that he was naming the 2024 NFL Draft's No. 2 overall pick his starting quarterback. It was an announcement that many, including the local media, had been clamoring to have made.
"You were pressuring so much over the last few weeks, I felt it was time to promptly tell you," Quinn said with a smile. "I'd know. You'd know. He'd know."
Daniels has taken command of the Washington offense this offseason, into training camp, and impressed during the preseason. His confidence to change the play on the first third down he faced in the preseason and launch a 42-yard bomb underscored the rookie's place atop the pecking order. His solid performance Saturday against Miami further reiterated that this wasn't much of a "competition" to begin with.
Regardless of how much of a competition it was, Daniels was happy to oblige.
"Everything in life you've got to earn it. Nothing's given," Daniels said Monday. "What DQ and them preach here is competition, and you gotta earn your right to stay. You gotta earn your right on the field and at the position. To be able to go out there and compete, it makes everybody better. What they preach, they hold true to that."
Marcus Mariota is on the roster to simply buffer Daniels. This rookie needs no bridge.
Compiling 55 starts over five seasons in college, Daniels isn't an inexperienced first-year player. Yes, as with any rookie, there will still be growing pains, but the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner is pre-built and ready straight out of the box. At Arizona State and LSU, he compiled 12,750 passing yards and 89 touchdowns. Those aren't "needs time to learn from the sideline" numbers.
The biggest question entering training camp and the preseason was how comfortable he'd be in Kliff Kingsbury's offense. Daniels answered that with aplomb in his brief preseason appearances.
Now it's on to Week 1 and the reigning NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 8.
