After an incredible senior season at LSU that culminated in a Heisman Trophy for Jayden Daniels, he didn’t skip a beat in his first year in the NFL. Daniels led the Commanders, who were only projected to win 6 games, to a 12-5 record as well as an NFC Championship Game appearance, their first since 1991.
He also posted an impressive individual season, totaling 4,459 combined passing and rushing yards in addition to 31 total touchdowns, winning him the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Concerns with the Commanders?
Even after such an impressive season, there is one looming concern for Daniels’ second NFL season: the possibility of a ‘sophomore slump’ that we’ve seen rookies with similar elite rookie seasons experience in the past.
Dak Prescott went 13-3 and won OROY in his first season with the Cowboys in 2016, only to throw 7 more interceptions, go 9-7, and miss the playoffs in his second season. More recently, CJ Stroud experienced the same phenomenon. While the Texans’ team performance did not decline from 2023 to 2024, Stroud’s individual production declined noticeably. He had 7 more interceptions, took 14 more sacks, and threw for 64 fewer yards per game.
After providing a much-needed jolt to the Commanders’ franchise in his rookie year, the team must prevent a similar decline to what happened with Prescott and Stroud.
Looking at what went wrong in their second season, one thing is consistent between Prescott and Stroud’s respective second seasons: increased pressure on them in the pocket. In 2016, Prescott was sacked on only 5.44% of plays, but that number rose to 6.10% in 2017. Similarly, the Texans saw Stroud get sacked 6.77% in his rookie year, and even saw that number rise to 9.34% in 2024. Furthermore, the Texans were pressured on 27.2% of pass plays in 2024, the highest rate in the league.
In both of these instances, the teams failed to take the necessary steps to ensure that their sophomore quarterback was adequately protected as they didn’t invest in bolstering their offensive line as protection. It is clear that the Commanders saw this and reacted accordingly, investing in protection for Daniels.
The team traded for Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil in March, who was graded the 4th best pass blocking tackle in the league last year by PFF. In addition to trading for Tunsil, they drafted Ohio State right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. who, as a three year starter with the Buckeyes, only allowed 2 sacks.
Successful Offseason
GM Adam Peters did all the right things for Daniels in the offseason to maximize the team’s potential while he is still on a rookie contract. Not only did he make sure to build better protection around his franchise quarterback, but he also provided him with more offensive weapons.
The Commanders traded for 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel in March, who will work alongside Terry McLaurin as one of the best one-two wideout punches in the league. They also drafted speedy Virginia Tech wide receiver Jaylin Lane in April, who ran a 4.34 at the combine and had just under 2,800 scrimmage yards in his collegiate career.
In terms of what Daniels needs to do to avoid the slump that Prescott and Stroud saw, most of the work is already done for him. He won’t have to worry about a weak offensive line or a lack of weapons around him, and will just have to keep playing like the mature, superstar quarterback that we saw in 2024. Expect the Commanders to be back in the playoffs again in 2025 making a run for their first Lombardi in over two decades.
