Jayden Daniels Opens Up on 2026 Goals After Strong Joint Practice vs. Dolphins
Jayden Daniels isn’t interested in chasing his own ghost. A year removed from a rookie season that carried Washington to the NFC Championship Game, the Commanders quarterback says he’s done measuring 2026 against what came before.
“It’s a new year,” Daniels said Wednesday, following a joint practice against the Miami Dolphins at the Commanders’ training camp in Ashburn, Virginia, according to the Associated Press. “I don’t want to compare what I did my first two years. Now I’m on to a new season, a new year. I’m just trying to be the best version of myself every day.”
It’s a simple line, but it carries weight. Daniels’ second NFL season didn’t go the way anyone in Washington expected.
A Rookie Year That Set the Bar Too High
In 2024, Daniels put together one of the best rookie seasons the league has seen at the position. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year, dragged a Commanders team that had gone 4-13 the year before to a 12-5 finish, and helped Washington win two road playoff games before finally running out of gas in the NFC Championship against the Eagles — the franchise’s first appearance in that game since 1991.
Then 2025 happened. Daniels was banged up for most of the year, appearing in only seven games, and the offense that had ranked in the top 10 in both scoring and yards a season earlier collapsed to 22nd in both categories, according to ESPN. Washington finished 5-12 and missed the postseason entirely. The team shut Daniels down for the final three games to protect his health, a decision he understood but didn’t love, per the AP report.
“It’s year in, year out,” Daniels said, describing the mindset shift. “I felt like this last year. I wasn’t hurt around this time last year, but it’s year in, year out.”
New Faces, New Scheme
The disappointing follow-up season triggered real change at Commanders Park. Washington and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury mutually agreed to part ways after the season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, while defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. was let go outright. Kingsbury had been the architect of Daniels’ rookie-year breakout, so the split closed the book on a short but productive partnership.
David Blough, previously the team’s assistant quarterbacks coach, was promoted to offensive coordinator, and Daronte Jones was brought in to run the defense. It’s a notable bet from head coach Dan Quinn — Blough has no prior NFL coordinator or play-calling experience — but early camp reports suggest a smooth transition. “Jayden dominated the Dolphins with surgical accuracy,” Hogs Haven’s Scott Jennings observed of Wednesday’s session, “pushing the ball downfield or making smart, timely throws working through his progressions.”
| Category | 2024 (Rank) | 2025 (Rank) |
|---|---|---|
| Points Scored | Top 10 | 22nd |
| Total Yards | Top 10 | 22nd |
| Record | 12-5 | 5-12 |
| Daniels Games Played | 17 | 7 |
A Crowd Befitting a Rivalry Renewal
Wednesday’s practice wasn’t just another camp rep. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and rapper Wale were among those watching from the sideline as Daniels got his first live look at an opposing defense since Washington’s season ended, according to the AP. It was the kind of atmosphere that hinted at where the Commanders’ expectations sit heading into the fall — cautiously optimistic, with a healthy quarterback back on the field.
That health question looms over everything. A fully available Daniels was the difference between a Cinderella playoff run and a five-win collapse, and Washington’s coaching staff knows it. Blough’s new scheme will be judged largely on whether it can protect its quarterback while still letting him play the aggressive, downfield style that made him a star as a rookie.
Circling September 13
Washington will get an immediate measuring stick. The Commanders open the 2026 regular season on the road against the rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 4:25 p.m. ET — the same team that ended their playoff run in January and the same team they’ll need to get past if they want to reclaim the NFC East.
For Daniels, the message right now isn’t about revenge or redemption arcs. It’s simpler than that.
“I’m just trying to be the best version of myself,” he said, “every day.”
