How Eagles plan to contain Commanders standout rookie QB Jayden Daniels

PHILADELPHIA — No secrets were hidden when the Philadelphia Eagles were discussing Jayden Daniels. Every player that was asked about the Washington Commanders standout rookie came away impressed.

The one Eagles player that played with Daniels over the summer envisioned his success. 

“We all knew he was going to be good,” said Jahan Dotson, who spent training camp catching passes from Daniels in Washington. “And I’m happy that he’s showing everyone how good he is.

“He’s a great player. He’s able to make a lot of plays. I feel like he’s one of the better quarterbacks in the league. He’s a tremendous talent. He has a good head on his shoulders and good leadership skills.”

Daniels has been a problem around the league through 10 games, having one of the best starts for any quarterback in league history. He’s the second quarterback since the 1970 merger with 200 pass yards per game and 45 rush yards per game in his first 10 career games (Robert Griffin III was the first) and the third-most rush yards by a quarterback (464) in his first 10 career games. 

He’s completed 68.7% of his passes for 2,147 yards with nine touchdowns to two interceptions for a 101.7 passer rating, adding 464 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The Commanders are 7-3 and have scored on 58.3% of the drives, the second-highest rate since the merger. 

“You definitely have to be cognizant of the fact that he moves well in the pocket,” Eagles pass rusher Jalyx Hunt said. “He’s an athletic quarterback so it’s something that we’ve noted and you have to rush accordingly for sure.”

Even though Daniels has been a force in his rookie season, the Pittsburgh Steelers did take away his dual-threat ability running the football. Daniels notched a season-low five yards rushing in Sunday’s loss, only the second time this season he was held to under 20 rushing yards. 

“They just did a good job playing their techniques, playing their run and tackling,” Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean said. “Pittsburgh always did a good job of handling running quarterbacks.” 

So how do the Eagles make sure Daniels is contained? 

“They rushed a lot of guys,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said of Pittsburgh. “When I say a lot, they rushed five a good bit, or four. Pittsburgh is pretty good. You’ve got [Steelers LB T.J.] Watt and [Steelers LB Alex] Highsmith on the outside. They’re good guys. [Steelers DT Cameron] Heyward is still on the inside. They’re a good defense.

“Kudos to him for what he’s been able to achieve. Kudos to the coaches there that are coaching him because that’s not an easy offense to run. They do a lot of different things. He’s only thrown two interceptions, which is unreal, really. He’s done a great job.”

Daniels is the toughest assignment of the Eagles’ season. The players are aware of what’s in store Thursday night. 

“I always thought that he was a great player,” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said. “Been able to win the Heisman, and all the success he’s had — even to this point.”