How the Commanders are handling Jayden Daniels' transition to the NFL

Selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Commanders are getting Jayden Daniels ready to lead their franchise.

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels poses with fans after being / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears named Caleb Williams their starting quarterback right away, and while the Washington Commanders are doing things a bit differently, they knew when they selected Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they have to cater their strengths around his.

The Commanders are giving Daniels and another former Heisman-winning No. 2 overall pick in Marcus Mariota equal reps in OTAs, but they aren't splitting reps. In fact, the Commanders are running the ones and the twos simultaneously. It's not just about Daniels needing to get reps, but the Commanders went through a great deal of turnover this offseason when free agency hit.

This gives the players and the coaching staff all equal opportunities to get their feet wet in OTAs, as well as allowing for personnel to be swapped in and out from first team to second team without losing reps. While the whole team needs this cohesion, the focus and emphasis is certainly on their new shiny quarterback:

Speaking to the media, head coach Dan Quinn spoke about getting a feel for Daniels as he transitions to the NFL level:

“What we learn with any player, ‘O.K., this is a concept that he rips it on this route. This specific concept you can see it. So how do you feature a player into those spaces?’ So the first part of the OTAs—we’ve had three practices, we have three more [this] week. And so you just keep stacking on and, ‘O.K., what about this, what about this, what about this?’ And you find out the things that he’s exceptional at. But it is a process, and the cool part about it is, the hard-working part of it has clearly showed up.”

- Dan Quinn via SI's Albert Breer

And the hard work is not lost on the Commanders. On his flight home after meeting with the team and getting his playbook after officially being selected, Daniels was already working on his hand signals and working through the playbook. Rookie quarterbacks always face a unique challenge, but Daniels is up to the task.