Commanders’ Jayden Daniels addresses if he expects to start immediately

The Washington Commanders have found their new franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels, the LSU product selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Many expect the reigning Heisman Trophy winner to start immediately in Washington, but does he expect the same thing?

During a recent appearance on Keyshawn Johnson’s “All Facts No Brakes” podcast, Daniels said he wasn’t too worried about starting right away.

“Do I anticipate (starting Week 1)? I mean, I’m confident in my abilities, but that’s a decision that they’ve got to make,” Daniels said, via NFL.com. “That’s above me.”

Daniels added: “From what I heard, they said whenever I’m ready, I’m ready. So whenever I feel like I’m ready, I’m ready. …

“They didn’t tell me, ‘Oh, you’ve got to start Week 1.’ They just said, ‘Whenever you’re ready, you’re ready. Whenever you feel ready, we feel you’re ready, we’re gonna throw you out there.'”

The Commanders are about to break an NFL record by starting a different quarterback Week 1 for the eighth straight season. Dan Quinn will likely describe the shaping of his quarterback depth chart as a “competition,” with Daniels’ competitors being Marcus Mariota, Jake Fromm and Jeff Driskel. But most would guess it’s Daniels under center Week 1.

Daniels had nothing short of a remarkable 2023 campaign, where he threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and just four interceptions, and added 1,134 yards rushing, plus 10 more touchdowns on the ground. He recorded the highest passer efficiency in a season in FBS history (208.0), led the FBS in total yards per game (412.2) and total touchdowns per game (4.2), and led all FBS quarterbacks in yards per attempt (11.7), plus yards per rush (8.4). The Commanders hope they have finally found the quarterback that will start for more than just one regular-season opener.