The Washington Commanders enter 2026 with the biggest question in the NFC East centered on quarterback Jayden Daniels.

After a Rookie of the Year campaign in 2024 that featured record-setting dual-threat ability, Daniels took a step back in 2025 when injuries limited his availability and his efficiency dipped. New offensive coordinator David Blough inherits a quarterback with elite upside and real durability concerns, and the scheme he installs could determine whether Washington competes in the division or falls short again.

Sean Anderson, an A to Z Sports Commanders contributor, offered a measured but optimistic view of Daniels heading into the 2026 season. He expects the truth to land somewhere between the two versions fans have seen, leaning closer to the 2024 magic while acknowledging it would be irresponsible to bank on a repeat of that miracle run.

“I do think he’s the truth,” Anderson said of Daniels. “I do think he is a fringe top-10 guy in baseline in the NFL, and if he starts performing well, he can start accelerating up that ladder.”

That optimism comes with a significant caveat.

Daniels remains one of the more fragile-looking quarterbacks in the league when absorbing contact. Anderson described the visual in vivid terms: when Daniels gets hit, it looks like he explodes out of his pads, his arms go flying, and his helmet pops above his head. The physical risk is real, even if the natural quarterbacking ability borders on poetic.

David Blough’s offensive system could unlock Daniels

The transition from the previous offensive staff to Blough carries real significance for Washington’s 2026 outlook.

Blough has spent his entire NFL coaching career in Washington alongside Daniels, so the rapport between the two is strong. That familiarity should help smooth what is expected to be a complex installation.

Daniels mentioned in an interview that Blough plans to give him more autonomy at the line of scrimmage, a development Sean praised. The other key schematic shift involves getting Daniels under center more frequently for play-action opportunities rather than operating exclusively out of the pistol or shotgun.

“Get a quarterback under center. Gives you so many different looks, throws a defense off,” Anderson said. “It’s not just sitting in the pistol knowing that it’s one of three plays that’s going to happen.”

Anderson noted that early reports out of training camp suggest the offense is not coming together quickly, which he views as a positive sign rather than a negative one. A longer installation process should keep defenses off balance over the full 17-game slate.

Washington needs variance to avoid the Miami trap

The biggest risk for Blough’s offense is falling into a predictable pattern.

Anderson pointed to the Miami Dolphins’ timing-based attack under coach Mike McDaniel as a cautionary tale. That system was easily dissolved once defenses realized it ran the same concepts out of the same three formations, requiring defenders only to fill three predetermined spots to shut it down.

Washington cannot afford to be one-dimensional.

Wide receiver Terry McLaurin profiles as a mid-range threat, and Stefon Diggs remains one of the best slant runners in football, but the Commanders cannot rely solely on those two staples while running between the tackles with their big running backs. The offense has to be more aggressive than that.

The under-center work should help protect Daniels from himself, but Anderson hopes it goes beyond simple halfback stretches and play-action deep balls. Classic under-center drops with timed throws that produce 8-yard completions would add a dimension Washington has lacked.

Even small amounts of variance force defenders to think for an extra half-second, and that half-second can be the difference between a sack and a completion.

If Blough, Daniels, and Washington’s offensive personnel can align on that vision, the Commanders have a quarterback capable of carrying them.

The talent around Daniels remains a concern — a thin wide receiver room, an underwhelming running back group, and questions at left tackle. But Daniels himself is the most optimistic piece of the puzzle, and if the scheme gives him the tools to operate with creativity and command, a return closer to his 2024 form feels attainable.