Not many rookie quarterbacks in the NFL have played at a high level this season.
Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick for the Chicago Bears, has not posted amazing stats. He has thrown three touchdowns with four interceptions. Bo Nix, the No. 12 pick for the Denver Broncos, has one touchdown pass and four interceptions in four games.
Jayden Daniels, however, is putting on an amazing show for the Washington Commanders. The No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has transformed the franchise. The Commanders are 3-1 entering Week 5, and he's the primary reason why. Daniels is completing an astounding 82.1 percent of his passes for 897 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, while also running for 218 yards and four touchdowns.
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A lot of Patriots fans are probably looking at Daniels' success as a rookie and wondering, why can't that be us with Drake Maye? The Patriots have given Maye just one drive in garbage time this season, even though starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett has struggled to produce.
How have the Commanders helped Daniels succeed so early in his career? NBC4's JP Finlay joined Phil Perry on NBC Sports Boston's Next Pats Podcast to discuss the environment Washington has built for its first-round rookie QB.
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"I think the biggest reason for his success is him. He's at the top of the list, and I think it's a fairly sizable gap," Finlay said. "But then you do have to give credit to a lot of factors. They built a staff ready to develop a young quarterback. And I do think Jayden came in after playing five years at LSU, and with Brian Kelly -- as far as college offenses go, there's some pro elements there -- I think he grew a lot that last year in Baton Rouge with Kelly, who really challenged Daniels and told him what he needed to do to get to the next level, and he responded to that.
"But on this staff, you've got Kliff Kingsbury, who, maybe he's not a head coach, but that dude absolutely knows how to develop quarterbacks. You look at his track record with Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray -- it's pretty darn impressive. Beyond Kliff, Tavita Pritchard is the quarterbacks coach. He was Andrew Luck's backup at Stanford. A lot of people really like him. David Blough is another guy who's kinda bounced around the league as a journeyman backup quarterback, he's on the staff now as an assistant quarterbacks coach. They have put so many quarterbacks together.
"Brian Johnson, who was with Jalen Hurts (in Philadelphia) and Mississippi State when Dak Prescott was there. ... He can really develop passers. He's on the staff as a passing game coordinator. Even their tight ends coach, David Raih, he was a quarterback at Northern Iowa."
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The Commanders also signed veteran backup Marcus Mariota in the offseason. Mariota not only has a similar dual-threat skill set as Daniels, he's gone through many of the same experiences, too.
"They bring in Marcus Mariota, who's a veteran that won a Heisman Trophy and was a second overall draft pick," Finlay said. "There's no step Jayden has walked through that Mariota didn't, and I think that was a very intentional signing there."
The Commanders also haven't put too much pressure on Daniels. They've allowed him to grow and develop at his own pace.
"And I think organizationally, they've done a really good job of not trying to present Jayden as a savior and not try to market the hell out of him," Finlay explained. "His face isn't on a million billboards in town. I'm sure that's coming, but it hasn't happened yet. I give (head coach) Dan Quinn a lot of credit for not making him captain or naming him the starter back in April. They let him ease into everything.
"I think they've done a lot of the right things. I think Kingsbury's offense has been really friendly. I think the offensive line has surpassed expectations. That's one thing the Patriots certainly don't have right now, an o-line that can protect a young guy. Jayden deserves the bulk of the credit, and then they have built an insulated place for him to grow."
Building a great coaching staff with experience developing quarterbacks is one lesson the Patriots can learn from the Commanders. And not treating Maye as a savior would be wise, too. Being the No. 3 pick carries enough pressure. Adding to that with crazy expectations makes little sense.
It remains to be seen when Maye will get his first start. If he can perform close to the level Daniels has shown so far, the Patriots will be in great shape moving forward.
Also in this episode:
- Does the David Andrews injury impact Drake Maye's timeline?
- Are players frustrated with the scheme?