Former Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera is extremely impressed with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Rivera coached the Commanders for four seasons from 2020 until 2023, but he never had a franchise quarterback like Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The two-time Coach of the Year winner details what makes Daniels — the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite — so good.
“It’s one of those things that you always talk about that really good players raise those around him and that’s what you’ve seen him do,” says Rivera in a one-on-one interview on behalf of his partnership with USAA. “You’ve seen him help improve the play of the offense as a whole. It’s because of his play on offense, the offense is playing well, it’s raised their defense. That’s what you look for in quality players is just how they affect the team? This young man affects the team that way.”
Add it to the resumé ‼️@JayD__5 nabs his first NFC Offensive Player of the Week award pic.twitter.com/MSxumPV13q
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 25, 2024
The Commanders are riding high following their 20-19 win over the New Orleans Saints. Washington is now 9-5 and in the driver’s seat to clinch a wild card playoff spot. They have an 85% chance of clinching a playoff spot.
Although Washington may not be one of the NFC’s elite teams, they’re certainly one of the better squads in the NFL. Entering Week 15, the Commanders ranked fourth in offense (28.9 points per game) and rank in the top five in rushing yards, total yards and offensive turnovers.
Rivera is hesitant to declare a definitive ceiling for the Commanders, saying it all depends on who they match up with in the playoffs.
“It’s going to be about the right matchup, it really will,” says Rivera. “The matchup is going to be very, very important, just because there’s so many good teams right now. The NFC is looking pretty strong. We start talking about teams like Detroit and Philadelphia as teams that everybody’s gotta contend with. And then probably one of the hottest teams going right now are the Los Angeles Rams. This is going to be really, really competitive.”
Through 14 games, Daniels has 17 touchdowns against six interceptions for a 72.6 quarterback rating, the fourth-best mark in the NFL. That’s not even mentioning his 616 rushing yards and 5.5 yards per carry for the season. Entering Week 15, he led rookie quarterbacks in every major passing category with the exception of passing touchdowns.
Although the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix has made a late push as the top contender to Daniels for Offensive Rookie of the Year — he also has the Broncos in prime position to clinch a wild card spot — Rivera favors Daniels as his pick to win the award.
“I’m still going to lean towards him as of right now,” says Rivera. “I think Jayden does some really good things. He’s got a good cast around him as well. Bo is a deserving candidate as well. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to come down to the end of the year, the last couple of games.”
.@ShannonSharpe says Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix are in a “dead heat” for Offensive Rookie of the Year ✍️
“Bo Nix has been every bit as good … as Jayden Daniels.” pic.twitter.com/tGTPnZ4j0w
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 25, 2024
Rivera says Daniels just has to “stay ahead of the crowd” and stresses his commitment to excellence.
“He just has to stay ahead of the crowd,” says Rivera. “Bo Nix is a guy that has made a lot of noise, done some really good things. All eyes are on those guys for the most part. I had an opportunity to talk to him with Kliff Kingsbury and Dan Quinn and they both really harp on how hard Daniels works, how he prepares himself, his commitment to being great.”
As mentioned before, Rivera had difficulty leading the Commanders to consistency in winning. Although Washington clinched a playoff berth as a 7-9 team during the 2020 season, they failed to post a winning record in any of Rivera’s years in Washington and didn’t make it to the playoffs a single time during his last three years with the Commanders. Rivera went 26-40-1 (.396 winning percentage) during his four seasons with the Commanders.
Rivera attributes the lack of a franchise quarterback and organization stability as reasons for why the Commanders couldn’t build a similar type of winning culture that he previously built with the Carolina Panthers. Rivera and the Panthers advanced to the Super Bowl after a 15-1 campaign in 2015 and clinched four playoff appearances during his nine seasons there.
“Unfortunately, we were working through some off-the-field issues that had to be corrected, an ownership change, a name change, as far as going to the Commanders from the previous name,” says Rivera. “When you have things that aren’t just focused on playing the game on the field, it’s difficult at times. The big thing more than anything else is finding that quarterback is such an impactful part of the growth and development of your team. Once you find him, then you’ve got to be able to make sure you protect him.”
The Commanders certainly aren’t lacking a franchise quarterback now that they have Daniels. Unsurprisingly, they’re immediately a playoff team with him in the fold after a 4-13 season last year.
