This offense is all about learning some new tricks for Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, and he’s already learning from Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.
One of Manning’s best tricks is helping Daniels adapt to the under-center schemes preferred by new offensive coordinator David Blough. Putting Daniels under center more often has always been Blough’s aim, and the advantage is being able to fool defenders with the play-action and bootleg passing games.
Doing so will require Daniels to alter the way he appears to hand the ball off to running backs. He’s changing his mechanics by taking a tip from two-time Super Bowl winner Manning, according to ESPN’s John Keim.
Jayden Daniels Already Borrowing from Peyton Manning
Speaking on ‘The John Keim Report,’ Keim noted how Daniels is already emulating Manning during Commanders OTAs. Keim remembered how his ESPN colleague and NFL Films Senior Producer Greg Cosell revealed “Manning would talk to him about executing play action from under center, and just how he would fake the handoff by extending his arm fully. Because if you don’t, if you’re just bending it, what does that signal to the defense? That you’re not gonna hand it off, you’ve gotta sell the handoff. And today, I saw Daniels’ arm fully extended on the handoff, selling the fake on the handoff, ’cause it starts with that. You’ve got to make it look like a run, and that’s the details of the position.”
Manning is a good frame of reference for Daniels to borrow from because the 14-time Pro Bowler and five-time NFL MVP could gash defenses in so many ways, from so many looks. Copying the tricks that made former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos ace Manning so versatile is a better career path for Daniels to follow than the problematic one trodden by fellow Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray.
While Keim only noticed Daniels faking the handoff the way Manning would during Washington’s first practice, it’s an encouraging start to Daniels’ education playing from under center.
That re-education has been taking shape at OTAs, with head coach Dan Quinn observing “it’s noticeable how much more frequent Jayden Daniels is under center,” per JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports.
This is no small change for Daniels, who has spent the majority of his career operating from shotgun and pistol looks, at a remove from the center. The adjustment is expected to be a challenging, but necessary process for the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Daniels needs something different after he toiled through a disappointing, injury-hit second season that still leaves him frustrated. Blough’s offense is the something different Daniels needs, but Washington’s QB1 isn’t the only player set to benefit from the shift away from previous play-caller Kliff Kingsbury’s more college-style system.
Commanders Changes Good News for Another Position Group
Manning, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, spent a lot of his career operating from the shotgun, particularly with the Colts. Yet, he did some of his best late-career work from under center, notably as a member of the Broncos, when Manning learned the outside-zone rushing scheme favored by then-head coach Gary Kubiak.
The latter learned the system from Mike Shanahan, and there are zone-stretch principles in Blough’s playbook. Ex-Commanders wide receiver Anthony Armstrong noted the similarities when he said “putting JD5 under center opens up the outside zone scheme and, in turn will highlight the athleticism of the linemen. Is they can cut off defenders, pass off blocks, and climb to the second level Running game could take a big leap.”
That’s good news for a player like second-year running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He’s already expected to make a big leap statistically, thanks to Blough’s rushing concepts.
Croskey-Merrit and the other members of Washington’s deep backfield committee should feast in this system, but it’s Daniels who stands to benefit most, provided the new offense keeps him learning from Hall of Fame greats like Manning.
Jayden Daniels Using Peyton Manning Trick in Commanders Offense