Rookie seasons are full of learning lessons for every NFL player, even ones who light the league on fire like quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Daniels was a revelation for the Washington Commanders, both in terms of providing stability at the quarterback position and turning the franchise into a playoff contender. He set records, helped the Commanders get their best record in decades and even entered the fringes of the MVP conversation. There is always a learning curve for players going from college to the professional game, but Daniels seemed to pick things up much easier compared to his counterparts around the league.
The reality is that playing 17 games plus going through a playoff run is a taxing process, and Daniels felt the physical toll after the season came to an end. Now that he's experienced it firsthand, it has shaped everything about his offseason routine.
"It's a long season," Daniels told Bryan Colbert Jr. on "Next Man Up." "Now, just put the team around me, ask questions, ask vets and reach out to other individuals [to ask], 'How did you navigate your first offseason?'"
It seems like one of the first items on Daniels' agenda was to put on a little weight. Daniels laughed it off when asked multiple times about his physique during the first week of Phase 3 of the offseason workout program, but it's clear that he has a little more muscle in his arms based on pictures taken during practice and posted on social media.
Daniels didn't want to gain so much weight that he had to change his play style, but he did want to protect himself a little better. The hope is that what he put on, however small, will be enough to help him endure the NFL's physical demands without having to change what helped him win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
"Can I add some more armor on to sustain 17 games, and hopefully more?" Daniels asked.
As for how he actually performs on the field, Daniels said he wants to improve "everything" about his skill set. He's been taking pieces from different routines around the league, which is something Bobby Wagner advised him to do this summer. That was the same approach Wagner took after his rookie season, and that approach helped him build a Hall of Fame career.
Regardless of how Daniels has structured his offseason plans, all of it was done to replicate the success he and the Commanders had in 2024. He's seen what general manager Adam Peters and his staff have done to improve the roster this offseason by trading for Deebo Samuel and bolstering the offensive line. We'll need to see how those new pieces perform on the field, but for now, it looks like the team is more talented than it was last season.
As the most important piece on the offense and team, Daniels just wants to do his part.
"I gotta handle my side," Daniels said. "He [Peters] has to handle his side. DQ [head coach Dan Quinn] has to handle his side. It's all a collective."
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