Jayden Daniels is up to his old tricks and it will help the Commanders offense overcome a new challenge in 2026
Jayden Daniels received the benefit of playing in the same system for the first two years in his career, but that changes in 2026 with new offensive coordinator David Blough. One of Daniels’ famous traits is accelerating the learning curve.
One of the biggest, and most positive, talking points surrounding Jayden Daniels during the 2024 draft process was his work ethic.
For those who may have forgotten: Former LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly eventually had to keep the facilities open at all hours because not only was Daniels always in the building – it eventually trickled down to several teammates who followed suit.
Daniels’ work ethic is top tier and it’s a big reason why he had a sensational rookie year. Now, that same work ethic is helping him grasp David Blough’s brand new offense at a faster pace than it usually takes a quarterback to learn a new system.
“I always notice and admire the work ethic, to coming back to get it right, [and] his mental quickness,” Dan Quinn told reporters ahead of the Commanders’ first OTA of the 2026 offseason. “That’s always something that jumps out to me – learning a system so quickly and fast. I saw that a few years ago, and I’m feeling those same instincts now, as you guys will see at practice…
“… It’ll look differently. You’ll see him under center more, but you see the same intent… He makes things that are difficult look easy and I know they’re not.”
Jayden Daniels is not used to taking snaps from under center, so it’s intriguing to see how he responds
It’s more than safe to say Daniels has lived in the shotgun over the first two seasons of his career.
Per Sports Info Solutions, around 96% of Daniels’ dropbacks have come out of the shotgun formation. In terms of the running game, 82% of the Commanders’ designed runs have come from it, as well.
So, going under center is a pretty big adjustment. That would be for anyone, as well, and it’s not just the different mechanics involved. Going under center means a quarterback turns his back to the defense, which could provide a completely different look than what Jayden Daniels, or any other QB, saw pre-snap.
It adds a whole new mental layer to the process that can have negative ramifications if the signal-caller can’t nail it down.
That’s exactly what OTAs are for – to help navigate the adjustment. The Commanders have practiced a bit over the last few weeks, but it’s only been offense vs. offense and the same for the defense.
Now, Daniels will get viable work in, even if it’s no pads and no contact.
“We’ve done a good bit of it. It’s mostly just right now, it’s been against, you know, offense on offensive in Phase II,” said Quinn. “So that’s why I think the next few weeks will be important for that as we get started. But they’ve definitely put in the work together so far, but like most things, we need reps and time on task.”
At this point, it’s expected of Daniels to ace the test that is a new offense. As he’s shown in the past, if anyone can do it, it’s him.
So far, it sounds like that’s the case and it’ll eventually trickle down to his teammates. Meaning, the Commanders offense certainly has a chance to get off to a quicker start than usual in a new environment.