Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels addressed the media after yesterday's practice. Here are three takeaways from his press conference.
Brushing off expectations.
Things have changed over the past year since Daniels suited up for his first NFL game. They were one of the most exciting teams in the league last season, and as a result, there are much higher expectations for what the group can accomplish.
Daniels' response to that: "Interesting."
Daniels does not pay attention to all the noise, good or otherwise, surrounding the team. To be fair, most of it has been positive. Many of the Week 1 power rankings have the Commanders as a top 10 team because of the additions they made in the offseason. Daniels is expected to have another strong season, and some are predicting him to be an MVP candidate after his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2024.
Daniels only cares about one thing: winning games.
"I'm going out there trying to be the best version of myself. I don't really look at individual accolades, if we're winning football games, those come hopefully. So, I'm trying to do whatever it takes to win."
The biggest areas of growth in the team.
Head coach Dan Quinn said earlier in the day that he wants to build upon last year's success, rather than replicate it. Daniels echoed that sentiment and believes the team has grown over the offseason because of their experience in the culture Quinn has established in the building.
"We added more veteran experience, and we got guys last year that were with [Head Coach] DQ [Dan Quinn] and we kind of know the standard and how we want to play and we, you could tell that people are bought in."
The players' belief in Quinn's culture was an intangible component of the Commanders' success last season. Things like the bag drills before practice and positive messaging in the lobby helped build camaraderie within the roster, which in turn led to players pushing and supporting each other. It resulted in the Commanders pulling out victories in eight one-score games and a deep playoff run that ended in the NFC Championship.
This year, the message Quinn wants to send to the players is that they are still the hunters, despite what occurred last season. And just like last season, they are bought into that mantra.
"Everybody's showing up working hard and we all love one another, each other in the locker room," Daniels said. "We take care of one another on the practice field, but we know at the end of the day we got to push each other to get better."
Some advice for Josh Conerly Jr.
Washington's Week 1 unofficial depth chart confirmed that Conerly earned the right to be the Commanders' starting right tackle, and the rookie is set to make his debut against a talented New York Giants defensive front.
It's similar to the situation Daniels was in last season, as he faced off against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense led by Todd Bowles, regarded as one of the better defensive minds in the league today. Daniels has confidence his newest protector is up to the task and offered some advice.
"People are going to try to go after him and see what he's made of," Daniels said. "Rightfully so, because you got a more experienced guy with [T] Laremy [Tunsil] on the other side, so everybody wants to see what the rookie's about ... But that's kind of just why I told him, you know, go out there, have fun, be free, have fun but just know at the end of the day people are going to try to come after you, try to expose you because they know it's your first time, your first one and they might not think you're ready. But I know he is."
