Jayden Daniels' sophomore season was so underwhelming, the average fan may have forgotten about his scintillating debut campaign entirely.
Washington acted accordingly in the offseason, mutually parting with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury after a 22nd-place finish in the NFL offensively and replacing him with quarterbacks coach David Blough.
Now, Daniels has his former tutor as his play-caller. It should come as no surprise that he's already mastered the offense. On Wednesday, receiver Jaylin Lane went as far as suggesting Daniels seemed to be a "founder of the offense" during spring install periods.
Daniels is hoping that level of understanding will propel him to a memorable bounce-back campaign in 2026.
"I love the offense. I love what Blough's doing," Daniels told reporters Wednesday. "I love how he's creating, designing different things. And we'll go from there, but for me, personally, it's just how can I get better as a football player?"
One area in which Daniels can improve is availability. Multiple injuries robbed Daniels of 10 games in 2025, and while health setbacks can often be nothing more than a matter of bad luck, Daniels' absences proved how valuable he was to the Commanders, a team that reached the NFC Championship Game in 2024 and fell all the way to 5-12 in 2025.
It's an experience Daniels hopes he won't have to endure again anytime soon.
"I mean, it sucked," Daniels said. "I wouldn't say it was what I wanted or it was fun for me, because I love football. But the passion didn't change. It made it more kind of, like, I guess, a miserable feeling not being able to go out there and do what I've got to do on a daily basis with having setbacks."
Washington is running it back with the same offensive line in 2026, but made a few additions that could help open up what was a remarkably stagnant offense last season. The Commanders signed tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, receiver Van Jefferson, brought back wideout Dyami Brown and added running back Rachaad White to the mix, supplying Daniels with more options.
Ultimately, though, Washington's fate will rest on the shoulders -- and health -- of Daniels. If he's truly a master of the offense as has been suggested, the Commanders could prove their difficult 2025 season was nothing more than a fluke.
