The Jayden Daniels Tracker

[Dlts20]

Yup that scrimmage summary had me disappointed on both sides of the ball but especially the offense since my faith wasn't that high in the defense anyways. I came in feeling like Jayden was can't miss and was going to have a monster season. You don't want to put too much in the preseason let alone a scrimmage but I honestly remember feeling disappointed to hear our offense stall and Maye basically outplay Jayden. It's never been right from the start for this team.

First off I don't understand us building the oldest roster in the NFL. I guess they figured with Jayden on a rookie contract, you want to win now and vets are more capable for that but Philly won the SB with a dominant defense and they were actually the youngest in the NFL. GB has had the youngest roster in the NFL the last few years and they have been a high caliber team. We took the Dan Snyder route in signing the old former greats.

As for Jayden, the smiling is great when you are playing great but annoying when you aren't. I don't remember him laughing last year. He was the most cool under pressure rookie QB in history but his attitude was more humble, nonchalant, and God first. It wasn't laughing and he didn't start any post game this year talking about God. It's not necessary as clearly he is a believer and a god fearing man but I'm just pointing out the change in him.

I think the press clippings went to his head as it was clear that it definitely went to his mother's head who acted like she had the most prized son on earth and wanted to be on camera more than KDs mom. I just want for him to get more serious, get more of a chip on his shoulder, and get more focused in his return. I want the guy who wants it like Brady. Not the guy who thought the NFL was a cake walk after one season.

It's no big deal. Pretty much all of us have been humbled at some point. Now it's about bouncing back and showing that you are everything we believe that you are. He has all the tools and the work ethic. Just focus on being great and not being a celebrity. If you do that then the accolades and celebrity will come naturally just as they did last season

 

[skinsinparadise]

I am one of those disappointed in our local media who had to see the signs, and chose to gloss over them. When things are this bad, they don’t just start being this bad when the real bullets fly. Not that it would have made this any better to have known it could be this bad, but I’m annoyed with everything at this point. 🤣

I can forgive the injuries at edge. They should have done more but I can at least follow the logic of what they did at that spot. I can't forgive the depth at WR. I among others compained hard about the depth at WR during the off season. The #1 reason why this team looks like a dumpster fire now is injuries. A close #2 is the tough schedule IMO. The #3 is the WR spot was a ticking time bomb and it blew up in their face and that wasn't hard to predict in advance.

The idea that their 3 WRs today might be Chosen, Burks, and Moore. That's 100% on Peters. He has to wear that. Forgetting the politics of this, its ironic that the President is there is watch this game. lol, I can see the President going to Harris what a crap team you guys have what happened as they are getting routed. And my response would be in Harris' shoes I still believe in my GM, but lol this level of a debacle, that's on him. They got a backup QB playing with the worst WR corp in the NFL with the worst defense in the NFL. Yeah they suck. But it will be better next season.

I think this current version of the team is the worst team in the NFL. And while I don't put it on the aggregate on Peters. I put that more on injuries-schedule. But the fact that this configuration doesn't even look like a real NFL team and is bad or worse than any of Rivera's bad teams -- that IMO is almost all on Peters.

In short, the season with that level of injuries should unravel. I get it. But them playing like the worst team in the NFL -- I put that 80% on Peters, 20% on Quinn. For reasons I've expressed in other posts.

 

[skinsinparadise]

But I do like their chances to rebound next season. It kind of felt like a bad off season the deeper the summer went. I didn't think it would be this bad though. But their Rocky 3 moment seemed inevitable for many reasons I've expressed previously. lol, it happened even worse than I expected. But I do think Quinn and Peters have some Rocky in them, so I like them coming off an awful season. Cue the workout scenes in Russia from Rocky 4. I think they refind their edge and don't half ass anything this off season.

Though I can already predict it is going to be an exhausting off season for me between our own fans bailing on Jayden, Quinn, Peters, with some its all three, with some its targeting 1 of the three. The team being viewed again as a loser coming off a one off lucky season. On and on.

But lol, all the negativity might be a good thing. They are going to have their Rocky "You Can't Win" moments leading into next season.

 

[HOF44]

Watching what the Giants are doing with Dart under center needs to happen more with JD. I believe it opens up things that are more difficult out of the gun/pistol.

 

[Faithful Fan]

I can forgive the injuries at edge. They should have done more but I can at least follow the logic of what they did at that spot. I can't forgive the depth at WR. I among others compained hard about the depth at WR during the off season. The #1 reason why this team looks like a dumpster fire now is injuries. A close #2 is the tough schedule IMO. The #3 is the WR spot was a ticking time bomb and it blew up in their face and that wasn't hard to predict in advance.

The idea that their 3 WRs today might be Chosen, Burks, and Moore. That's 100% on Peters.

The thing that puzzles me about our WR situation is that we didn’t keep OZ, who was clearly our second best wideout last year, or Dyami, who was finally breaking out late last season. Those seemed like bad decisions at the time and look even worse in hindsight.

 

[SkinsFTW]

Watching what the Giants are doing with Dart under center needs to happen more with JD. I believe it opens up things that are more difficult out of the gun/pistol.

Kingsbury doesn't know a thing about running an "NFL" offense. That is a problem, compounded by our horrific defense.

 

[skinsinparadise]

The thing that puzzles me about our WR situation is that we didn’t keep OZ, who was clearly our second best wideout last year, or Dyami, who was finally breaking out late last season. Those seemed like bad decisions at the time and look even worse in hindsight.

As wacky as it sounds letting Dyami go and Zaccheus and replacing them with hot garbage is the theme to why this team isn't just bad right now but is the worst team IMO in the NFL.

A backup QB playing with the worst crop of WRS in the league and the worst defense has no chance.

Everything I've heard about Peters leads me to believe that he will learn some hard lessons from this off seasn and instead of Rivera-Bruce style just dismiss them, he will came at the off season with a vengence. Will see. But am betting on it.

 

[Faithful Fan]

Boy Drake Maye is playing great. Meanwhile Jayden isn’t playing at all. Anybody else starting to wonder if we made the right call? Last year it seemed obvious we did, this year it seems obvious we didn’t. Hopefully I have to eat these words next year. I guess time will tell.

 

[SkinsFTW]

It wasn't just the WR's. They replaced Young and Sweat with Fowler and Armstrong, then let Allen and Fowler go, brought in an assortment of randos who apparently are not as good, or are now injured. And they probably didn't even save any money doing all that.

 

[SkinsFTW]

Boy Drake Maye is playing great. Meanwhile Jayden isn’t playing at all. Anybody else starting to wonder if we made the right call? Last year it seemed obvious we did, this year it seems obvious we didn’t.

Hopefully I have to eat these words next year. I guess time will tell.

I was 100% for Maye before the draft but Daniels proved that he can be a legit top 5 QB. I don't even want to question that right now, he set records for 4th down conversions with a not even close to elite set of weapons last year. He got a team with a bad defense and 1 legit WR and nobodies at RB to the NFCCG and if not for 3 fumbles we'd have even had a chance in that game.

 

[Faithful Fan]

I was 100% for Maye before the draft but Daniels proved that he can be a legit top 5 QB. I don't even want to question that right now, he set records for 4th down conversions with a not even close to elite set of weapons last year. He got a team with a bad defense and 1 legit WR and nobodies at RB to the NFCCG and if not for 3 fumbles we'd have even had a chance in that game.

Yeah last year there was no question Jayden was the best, but this year has shaken my confidence big time.

 

[CuredFromBatteredFanSyndrome]

I think the press clippings went to his head as it was clear that it definitely went to his mother's head who acted like she had the most prized son on earth and wanted to be on camera more than KDs mom. I just want for him to get more serious, get more of a chip on his shoulder, and get more focused in his return. I want the guy who wants it like Brady. Not the guy who thought the NFL was a cake walk after one season.

It's no big deal. Pretty much all of us have been humbled at some point. Now it's about bouncing back and showing that you are everything we believe that you are. He has all the tools and the work ethic. Just focus on being great and not being a celebrity. If you do that then the accolades and celebrity will come naturally just as they did last season

This is perception that isn’t based in reality. There is nothing factual that suggests he thinks he arrived, lost focus, or thought this league was a cakewalk.

By all accounts, Jayden is still the first guy in and last guy out. He could have been on every single commercial you see on Sundays but chose not to run the endorsement well dry.

I don’t really understand the need to search for reasons that things went sideways when all of the legitimate reasons are staring you in the face.

 

[SkinsFTW]

Yeah last year there was no question Jayden was the best, but this year has shaken my confidence big time.

You have to blame everything else until he proves that he can't last in the NFL because he is legit going to take a team to the SB if he has even an average amount of help.

 

[Dah-Dee]

Judging biggest overreactions for NFL Week 10 games

We sized up Jonathan Taylor's amazing season, the Commanders' tumble, the Bills' disastrous loss and two tight division races, plus fantasy football takes.

www.espn.com

Jayden Daniels shouldn't play again this season even if he's cleared​

The Commanders' electrifying second-year quarterback dislocated his left elbow toward the end of the team's Week 9 loss to Seattle and missed Sunday's loss to the Lions as a result. He might have to miss more games with the injury, which is his third significant injury of the season. But the Commanders are 3-7 and their once-promising season seems like it won't end with a second consecutive playoff berth.

There is a bit of a drumbeat around the idea that, by the time Daniels is cleared to return to play, Washington will be out of it and won't be worth the risk of further injury to put him back into games, as he's too important to the franchise's long-term future. We don't know for sure when or even if he will be cleared to return, but if it's not until after the team's Week 12 bye, you can kind of see the reasoning behind the argument.

Verdict: OVERREACTION

Well, I hate this argument. I understand the premise behind it, but I hate it.

Football is a dangerous game. Any player can get hurt on literally any play. Daniels is a football player and wants to play. Washington is still charging for the tickets and should feel a responsibility to put the best possible product on the field. And Daniels is a huge part of the Commanders' best possible product. He's also a second-year quarterback who could stand to play and continue to gain experience. The injury isn't to his legs or his throwing arm. If the doctors say he can play and it's safe, then he should play, period.

Plus ... who's to say the Commanders are out of it? If they beat Miami next week in Madrid, they go into the bye at 4-7. Seven teams make the playoffs in each conference. Bring Daniels back, run the table to get to 10-7 and maybe squeak in to make another run like the one they made last season. Don't play scared.

 

[Busch1724]

He's young, he must play.

 

[Commander Wraith]

I didn't go down that rabbit hole, but it all comes back to the opening sentence of Football being a team sport. Sitting a teammate because you are fearful of them getting injured, could lead to crazy scenarios such as:
If Tunsil doesn't play, Jayden might be blindsided and lost for the season.
If Amos doesn't play, we might be down by a couple of scores and Jayden has to abandon the run game and get creamed by a ever blitzing team.
If McLaurin doesn't play he has to hold on to the ball for WR6 to get open, and take a hard hit.
If Newton doesn't play, Saquan runs through the evergaping hole up the middle, and the Eagles DL eats our lunch with their ears pinned back.

All of the teams potential starters for 2026 will (should?) be playing games 10-17. This team fights for Jayden, and rallies around him. Some might call it charisma, leadership, or "it." Parking him for reasons other than actual injury will take away exactly what makes him special.

My overall point was two-fold
I disagreed with your point about benching other players because they aren’t in an analogous situation - their safety isn’t threatened if the team around them sucks. So I’m not benching Amos, Terry, Newton, Tunsil, etc because I’m afraid they’ll get hurt.

Regarding Daniels, I’m starting him regardless, but I’m saying I’d definitely consider pulling him if the team around him was causing him to get hit a bunch. I wouldn’t just sit him for the rest of the season, but on a game by game basis. My calculus would also factor in whether the score is close and whether the season is lost.
I’m not saying I’d automatically bench him if Tunsil, Amos, etc aren’t playing. If them not playing leads to the scenarios you outlined though, then yeah, I’d definitely consider pulling him. IMO, we need Daniels healthy for next year, and that includes being able to train/develop in the offseason.

I did say I wouldn’t start him if Terry was out and Kliff (and the line) weren’t doing enough to protect him, but I left out some of the nuance I mentioned above. Hope that makes my stance clearer (not that my opinion matters, lol)

 

[Dlts20]

Seeing Jayden yesterday, it didn't look like he was anywhere near playing. It looked like he should definitely be on IR but maybe they just have to keep that arm totally still right now and he will be a lot better in a couple of weeks. Who knows

 

[SkinsInSATX]

Judging biggest overreactions for NFL Week 10 games

We sized up Jonathan Taylor's amazing season, the Commanders' tumble, the Bills' disastrous loss and two tight division races, plus fantasy football takes.

www.espn.com

Jayden Daniels shouldn't play again this season even if he's cleared​

The Commanders' electrifying second-year quarterback dislocated his left elbow toward the end of the team's Week 9 loss to Seattle and missed Sunday's loss to the Lions as a result. He might have to miss more games with the injury, which is his third significant injury of the season. But the Commanders are 3-7 and their once-promising season seems like it won't end with a second consecutive playoff berth.

There is a bit of a drumbeat around the idea that, by the time Daniels is cleared to return to play, Washington will be out of it and won't be worth the risk of further injury to put him back into games, as he's too important to the franchise's long-term future. We don't know for sure when or even if he will be cleared to return, but if it's not until after the team's Week 12 bye, you can kind of see the reasoning behind the argument.

Verdict: OVERREACTION

Well, I hate this argument. I understand the premise behind it, but I hate it.

Football is a dangerous game. Any player can get hurt on literally any play. Daniels is a football player and wants to play. Washington is still charging for the tickets and should feel a responsibility to put the best possible product on the field. And Daniels is a huge part of the Commanders' best possible product. He's also a second-year quarterback who could stand to play and continue to gain experience. The injury isn't to his legs or his throwing arm. If the doctors say he can play and it's safe, then he should play, period.

Plus ... who's to say the Commanders are out of it? If they beat Miami next week in Madrid, they go into the bye at 4-7. Seven teams make the playoffs in each conference. Bring Daniels back, run the table to get to 10-7 and maybe squeak in to make another run like the one they made last season. Don't play scared.

I get it, and love your optimism and enthusiasm,,but we are not running the table with this defense unless Quinn starts calling the plays!! And even then there's no guarantee we do!! It was brutal watching yesterday and thinking how bad we must be for receivers to be so wide open every play, and them scoring on every possession!! Just brutal!!

 

[Faithful Fan]

Well, I hate this argument. I understand the premise behind it, but I hate it.

Football is a dangerous game. Any player can get hurt on literally any play. Daniels is a football player and wants to play. Washington is still charging for the tickets and should feel a responsibility to put the best possible product on the field. And Daniels is a huge part of the Commanders' best possible product. He's also a second-year quarterback who could stand to play and continue to gain experience. The injury isn't to his legs or his throwing arm. If the doctors say he can play and it's safe, then he should play, period.

Plus ... who's to say the Commanders are out of it? If they beat Miami next week in Madrid, they go into the bye at 4-7. Seven teams make the playoffs in each conference. Bring Daniels back, run the table to get to 10-7 and maybe squeak in to make another run like the one they made last season. Don't play scared.

Quoted for emphasis. My sentiments exactly. Well said!

 

[Dah-Dee]

Seeing Jayden yesterday, it didn't look like he was anywhere near playing. It looked like he should definitely be on IR but maybe they just have to keep that arm totally still right now but he will be a lot better in a couple of weeks. Who knows

Agree, looked at least uncomfortable if not in pain, being careful with the arm in the brace, not smiling like we're used to.

Even if there was no ligament/etc. damage **requiring surgery**, a dislocation as noticeable/gruesome as that one is going to tear things around the joint. Even with Daniels' seemingly miraculous powers of recovery, I'd be really surprised if he's able to play again this season. Reminds me of Jorge Mateo's similar non-throwing arm injury with the Orioles, which eventually required Tommy John surgery; both injuries hard to watch on film. Sounds like Daniels' injury is not as bad, but still... it's not good.