When the Washington Commanders last selected a quarterback with the second overall selection in the NFL Draft, it led to what noted ESPN analyst and former Washington Post scribe Tony Kornheiser called the “land of unbridled optimism.” When Robert Griffin III got out to a tremendous start as a rookie, it rocketed fans of the franchise into a new level of hope.
A new era of unbridled optimism might be here, and it took rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels — the second overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft — just one drive in his first preseason game to deliver that hope.
Daniels and the Commanders opened up their preseason slate on Saturday at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets, and that first possession could not have gone any better for the visitors.
Washington ripped off an 11-play, 70-yard drive for a touchdown on their opening possession, capped off by a short touchdown run from Daniels to open the scoring.
While Daniels missed on his first throw of the game, he did not miss on his second:
The rookie quarterback dropped in a perfectly placed deep shot to Dyami Brown, beating tight man coverage for a 42-yard gain, giving the Commanders a fresh set of downs deep in New York territory.
While the drive appeared to stall near the goal line, new Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury gave Daniels an option design on third down, and Daniels kept it himself for the 3-yard touchdown:
Daniels reads this play perfectly, deciding to keep the football rather than hand it to running back Austin Ekeler. But he picks up a perfect block from tight end John Bates that helps seal the edge, and give Daniels a clear path to the end zone.
Daniels gave way to backup quarterback Marcus Mariota for Washington’s second possession, and he finished the day 2-for-3 passing for 45 yards, as well as the short touchdown run.
The new era of unbridled optimism may not show up in the box score. But it is certainly attributable to the rookie QB in Washington.
