“For me, the clear answer is UNC’s Drake Maye,” is what I said in the article, Commanders hold second pick in draft; will it be a bust or new hope for fans?, I wrote last school year.
In this article, I assessed the top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL draft who the Commanders were supposed to use their second overall pick on. As a lifetime Commanders fan, I want to make it clear that I truly had the best intentions with this article and I wanted to find the best possible quarterback for my franchise. I always thought Jayden Daniels was more impressive than Maye, but I decided Daniels’ playstyle was too similar to RG III for him not to get injured in the same way. So, out of fear, I chose Drake Maye just so history wouldn’t repeat itself.
What I failed to realize was that RG III’s mobile playstyle was never the problem – mobile quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson have no problems succeeding – but rather the organization he played under. RG III had to deal with owner Daniel Snyder, whose terrible ownership was to blame for our lack of success. With him as an owner, we dealt with controversy and poor decision-making. The reason RG III failed is that our franchise played him when he was already injured, whereas they should have rested him and kept his bright future in mind.
In contrast, the 2024 Commanders have a new owner, Josh Harris, who has picked a new and improved head coach, Dan Quinn, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. With this fresh coaching staff, we have started out the year 5-2, putting us first in the division. With this fresh management, I can confidently say that Jayden Daniels will reach his potential as RG III was never able to do.
Daniels is the best thing to happen to the Commanders organization in decades. He is leading the NFL’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year race and is the driving force behind our offense, which is ranked fourth statistically by ESPN after seven games played. He has not only cemented himself as a top-rushing NFL quarterback, but also a top-passing quarterback. It has been a pleasure to watch him score touchdowns with his wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, and consistently complete deep passes. What further separates him from Drake Maye this season is his ability to shine on the field while leading his team to victory consistently.
I will take it a step further in admitting that I was wrong and say that Daniels will win the division and lead the Commanders to a conference championship game. Despite his incredible rookie season and hot offense, I don’t think the Commanders have what it takes defensively to win a Super Bowl quite yet. However, after watching Daniels play, I can already see that he is our long-term franchise guy and will finish his career with a couple of Commanders Super Bowl rings.
