Jayden Daniels is on something of a positive press tour after his role in one of the more infamous end-of-game gaffes in NFL history, but one person the Washington Commanders’ quarterback doesn’t need to worry about winning over is standout right guard Sam Cosmi.
The latter has no concerns about Daniels’ ability to bounce back from disastrous events in the 27-27 tie against the New York Giants in Week 5. Cosmi declared, “Jayden’s pretty cool, calm, collected. He’s even keel for the most part; his emotions don’t waver as much,” per ESPN’s John Keim.
Those are just the words Daniels wants to hear from arguably his best protector along the offensive line. Cosmi was one of the more visibly angry Commanders’ players after Daniels allowed the clock to run down when the team was in position to kick a potentially game-winning field goal in overtime.
His failure to know the situation and manage a clutch moment has left Daniels facing the strongest criticism of his young career. The 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has responded by guaranteeing he’ll put things right.
Daniels will have a better chance to make amends if the protection in front of him is stronger. It means Cosmi and Co. must get better after their quarterback was under siege against the Giants.
Sam Cosmi Needs to Fire Up Struggling Offensive Line
Cosmi and the rest of Washington’s front five couldn’t keep blitzing defenders off Daniels in Week 5. Particularly when the Giants went Cover 0 and sent the house after the Commanders’ star signal-caller.
Daniels suffered five sacks. He also took two more hits, was hurried four times and dealt with 11 pressures, according to Pro Football Reference.
Nobody connected with the Commanders wanted to see those numbers when Daniels returned to the lineup after dislocating his elbow in Week 2.
Cosmi couldn’t contain his frustration after the game, per Locked On Commanders host David Harrison. That reaction was mostly to do with how the contest ended, but Cosmi also knew the O-line hadn’t done its job.
Fortunately, he’s been doing his part to keep Daniels clean. Cosmi’s “allowed one pressure (0.7% rate) this entire season. No other qualified player allowed fewer than three,” according to the Full Command Show, citing Bleacher Report’s Brandon Thorn.
Strong play from Cosmi is helping others get better. Notably, second-year right tackle Josh Conerly Jr., who’s posted “207 pass block snaps • 0 sacks allowed • 89% pass-block win rate” this season, per Commanders analyst Brandon.
• 207 pass block snaps • 0 sacks allowed • 89% pass-block win rate
The Conerly and Cosmi combination provides the platform for Daniels to bounce back from a critical lapse in leadership.
Jayden Daniels Facing Critical Moment for Commanders
Daniels isn’t quite at a crossroads, but events against the Giants damaged his standing. He was already battling against the narrative that he’s injury prone, after missing 12 games since his rookie year.
What happened in Week 5 was a test of Daniels’ leadership, both on and off the field. Some observers felt he was too quick to pass the responsibility for the clock-management failure onto others, specifically head coach Dan Quinn and his staff.
Daniels didn’t call the play, but he was the one on the field. The player responsible for knowing the situation and how much time was left on the clock.
His role is tougher to defend when Cosmi admitted, “the Washington offense knew the team had no timeouts,” per JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports.
It was on Daniels to let everybody in the huddle know how to operate and how quickly to set the stage for the field-goal attempt. Failing to meet either obligation harmed Daniels’ reputation, but he’s fronting up now and shielding others from blame.
That’s what the leader of the team is supposed to do publicly. It’s a good sign Daniels’ positive messages are already resonating with a valuable veteran like Cosmi.
Sam Cosmi Speaks Out About Commanders’ QB Jayden Daniels