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John Keim, editor at ESPN
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels saw a formation he didn’t like, changed the play, and then made a throw that put a smile on his face and that of his teammates — about the present and the future.
In Daniels’ preseason debut, he completed two of three passes for 45 yards on his only series, but others were impressed by his 42-yard throw in a 20-17 loss to the New York Jets.
It was a third-and-6 attempt and Daniels was alone in the shotgun formation. But with the Jets playing tight coverage, Daniels checked from a block to a go-ball, locked eyes with the safety in the middle of the field and then found receiver Dyami Brown, who was well defended, on the right sideline.
“An absolute failure,” Washington coach Dan Quinn told reporters.
The Jets were unable to use their regular defensive linemen and Washington was without its three best offensive tackles: rookie Brandon Coleman (shoulder), Andrew Wylie (tightness in an unspecified area) and Cornelius Lucas (personal reasons).
Because of those absences on the line and because Daniels was busy during a joint practice on Thursday, Quinn wanted to limit his appearances on Saturday. But he saw enough to say, “It was a great day for him.”
Daniels’ first pass was a miss on a block to veteran running back Austin Ekeler. Daniels also completed a block to receiver Terry McLaurin. Daniels capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run after a zone read and faked a handoff to Ekeler. Daniels ran wide to the right and scored unchallenged.
After his series ended, Daniels ran to the stands and gave the ball to his mother.
“It was great,” Daniels said. “She’s obviously very excited and happy. I’ve got to fight with her now to get the ball back.”
But the most notable was the checked call. Daniels told reporters that offensive coordinator Kliff Kinsgsbury often told him that if he didn’t like the way it looked, he should choose a different play.
“It would have been a dead play, so I checked it and gave my guy a chance to make a play,” Daniels said. As he sprinted down the field, he turned toward the sideline, pointed at his teammates and coaches and smiled.
“I thought of ‘Top Gun’: ‘Can I circle over the tower?'” Quinn said, referring to a scene from a movie. “In that movie, he wanted to ask for forgiveness, but not for permission. That shows how conscious he was of that. He didn’t ask for permission, but he circled over the tower anyway. It was a really cool game.”
Daniels also showed up to the game wearing a Washington jersey with Doug Williams’ number 17. Williams is an executive with the Commanders and has become friends with Daniels.
“What better way to make my debut,” Daniels said. “Represent Doug and what he’s done for the organization.” He also met with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers during practice Thursday, and the veteran told him to “not ride the wave. Stay the course, and everything will be OK.”
His teammates’ comments reflected how they have spoken since his arrival.
During an interview with WUSA-9 during the game, right guard Sam Cosmi said, “He was calm and collected. That was really impressive. We thought, ‘Damn, that was really fun.’ Everyone should be excited just after that little taste. I certainly am. I know the guys are fired up. I think we’ve got a guy back there.”
