Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels was hit with the injury bug last season, so the team will have to do everything possible to ensure that Daniels stays healthy this campaign.
Nonetheless, the entire responsibility for Daniels’ health shouldn’t solely be on the offensive line. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes that the Commanders QB also should be responsible for staying healthy.
Breer notes that Daniels needs to understand that Washington doesn’t need him to put on the Superman cape at the rate he was doing, which led to his injury-plagued 2025 season.
“Some of these guys are capable of being Superman, and when they were in college, they could kind of put the cape on whenever they wanted,“ Breer said during a Sept. 4 appearance on 106.7 The Fan.
“The balance for a lot of coaches working with these guys when they come into the NFL is teaching them, ‘Hey, look, if you only put on the cape five or ten plays, that’s actually more effective for us than you trying to put on the cape twenty or twenty-five times in a game.‘
“You’re going to make defenses defend more of the field. You’re going to keep them more off balance when you do decide to flip that switch.”
Jayden Daniels Will Need to Follow Other NFL QBs
Moreover, Breer believes Daniels should take a page from other QBs who have dialed back and picked and chosen their spots when it’s time to put on the Superman cape.
“I think it’s another thing being conscious of it and knowing the difference and then actually having to pay a price for it,“ Breer added. “[Daniels] obviously paid a heavy price for it last year.
“I think that part of it is something that’s front of mind for everybody. It happens with a lot of quarterbacks now, it exists with Caleb [Williams], it exists with Drake [Maye], it existed with Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.”
Last season, Daniels played 405 total snaps for the Commanders, earning a 74.8 overall PFF grade. Moreover, threw for 1,262 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Daniels also recorded 10 big-time throws and eight turnover-worthy plays. Meanwhile, on the ground, the Commanders star added 248 scramble yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Commanders O-Line Remains a Work In Progress
Washington’s offensive line will have to ensure that Daniels stays upright and clean, but for now, that remains a work in progress ahead of the Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I think it’s still a work in progress,“ Daniels said on Aug. 22 about how he and the offensive line are gelling. “Like I said, it’s only preseason. We still have practices and everything. By the time we get to Game 1, we’ll have it set in stone.
“For me, it’s really just trusting those guys up front, trusting the play calling, trusting my reads, getting the ball out, doing what I have to do and playing on time.”
It will be interesting to see whether the Commanders’ offensive line and Daniels can play their roles in keeping the QB healthy, as that could mean fighting for the division title and potentially another deep playoff run.
Insider Gets Blunt on Commanders’ Jayden Daniels Before Eagles Game