Commanders take Daniels with No. 2 overall pick
The Washington Commanders once again have turned to a dual-threat quarterback coming off a Heisman Trophy to help revitalize their franchise.
The Commanders selected LSU's Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft Thursday, ending months of speculation -- and intense privacy by the organization.
It is the highest Washington has drafted a quarterback since Robert Griffin III was picked with the second selection in 2012. Like Griffin, Daniels also won the Heisman Trophy and will enter the NFL as a threat to hurt teams with his arm or his legs. Washington also considered North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye and Michigan signal-caller J.J. McCarthy.
As a fifth-year senior for LSU last season, Daniels threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He also ran 135 times for another 1,134 yards and eight touchdowns. He started 55 games in his college career, including all 29 games he played over three seasons at Arizona State, which is where he began his career. Daniels threw for 12,749 yards, 89 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his career. He also ran for 3,307 and 34 more scores.
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The Commanders are hoping that Daniels can fill the organization's biggest on-field hole for most of the past three decades. Washington has started 33 quarterbacks since it last won the Super Bowl after the 1991 season -- and eight in the past four years. If Daniels succeeds, he can breathe new life into the organization on the field, after it has undergone one off the field.
In the past eight months Washington has gotten a new owner in Josh Harris, a new general manager in Adam Peters and coach in Dan Quinn. But for the franchise to become a title contender again, it must receive better play from the quarterback position.
The Commanders organization hasn't had a winning record since 2016, hasn't won a playoff game since the 2005 season and hasn't had an 11-win season since 1991 -- also the last season it won a Super Bowl. Washington went 10-6 and won the NFC East in Griffin's rookie season. But in the next 11 seasons, the organization ranked 28th in both cumulative total quarterback rating and winning percentage (.380) with no double-digit win finishes.
Washington has tried to solve the quarterback hole in multiple ways over the years, including four first-round picks from 2002 to 2015. The franchise failed to keep Kirk Cousins, allowing him to leave via free agency after the 2017 season -- and after trading for Alex Smith. They signed free agents such as Ryan Fitzpatrick and acquired Carson Wentz via trade.
Nothing has worked. The last time Washington had a quarterback open consecutive seasons as the starter was 2016-17 with Cousins. The Commanders will make it seven consecutive seasons with a new opening-game starter this year, and no quarterback has served as the main starter for four consecutive seasons since Mark Rypien did it from 1989 to 1993.
The Commanders traded last year's starting quarterback, Sam Howell, to the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason. Washington already had three quarterbacks on its roster: Marcus Mariota, Jeff Driskell and Jake Fromm. At the owners meetings last month, Peters said he would be comfortable if Mariota had to start for an extended period.
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5 of May 2024
