Daily Slop – 18 Aug 24: Jayden Daniels looks ready to go for ‘24 season as Commanders fall to Dolphins in Miami

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ESPN

Commanders coach Dan Quinn lauds Jayden Daniels’ performance

Washington has been ecstatic about Daniels’ performance, not just in the preseason games but in practice as well. Coaches and teammates have raved about his work ethic and say he’s ahead of where he should be as a rookie with his knowledge of the offense.

Though he has not been officially named the starter for the season, he has taken the bulk of the first-team snaps in practice the past several weeks and started both preseason games.

“I’m still learning. God blessed me with a gift, I don’t want to take that away,” Daniels said. “I’m very competitive, so I want to make explosive plays and score a lot of touchdowns.”

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Washington Post (paywall)

Jayden Daniels keeps checking boxes in Commanders’ second preseason game

Rookie completes 10 of 12 passes in about a quarter’s worth of work. The only knock: He needs to learn to slide.

“It’s a fine line of knowing when to take your chances and when to get down,” Daniels said after the game. “Right there, I honestly didn’t think there were a lot of people behind me, so after I got tackled or went down a little bit, he’s on the sideline like, ‘Get down, get down.’ So that’s just our little joke that we have going on.”

“Double-secret probation,” Washington Commanders Coach Dan Quinn said in jest, referencing Daniels’s checked throw in the first preseason game that was likened to “buzzing the tower.”

“But no, for him, I thought he had another good outing, honestly,” Quinn said. “… The accuracy, the decision-making of where to go, he really is a unique competitor.”

Throughout organized team activities and training camp and again Saturday, Daniels checked the boxes Quinn and his staff hoped. His decision-making and crisp throws were there. His command of the offense and communication with teammates were obvious, too.

In two series that spanned a little more than a quarter, Daniels appeared poised and in control, completing 10 of his 12 pass attempts — to six receivers — for 78 yards and a 92.8 passer rating. He also rushed for 13 yards on two carries.

Saturday’s game was the first in which Daniels played with four-fifths of his starting offensive line. Rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman was out with a pectoral injury (Cornelius Lucas started in his place), but Wylie, who had been dealing with muscle tightness for much of camp and the preseason opener, was back on the right side.

Daniels was well protected, save for that blitz on third and six. But Wylie picked up two penalties on the second series: a false start, then the holding that was especially costly.

Have we mentioned the Commanders need a kicker? The Commanders need a kicker. Bad. Patterson, who was claimed off waivers in early August to compete with Ramiz Ahmed (Ahmed was cut last week), hit the upright on a 39-yard attempt against the Jets and missed two field goals against the Dolphins. He first shanked that 49-yarder wide left, then later he missed a 43-yard attempt wide right.

Have we mentioned the Commanders need help at cornerback? The Commanders need help at cornerback. Emmanuel Forbes and Benjamin St-Juste again started outside. Forbes had the more noticeable struggles against the Jets — both in the joint practice and in the game, when he was beat by John Brownlee for a 12-yard touchdown. On Saturday, it was St-Juste who was beat in man-to-man coverage by Cracraft, who got past the cornerback at the line of scrimmage with his release.

Quinn indicated during the week that Dotson would play a significant number of snaps, as he did against the Jets (32 snaps). He did not. Dotson didn’t play in the second half and was targeted only twice, catching one pass for three yards. McCaffrey led all Commanders receivers with 30 yards on two catches.

Washington used the same trio on kickoff returns. Wide receivers Davion Davis, Byron Pringle and Kazmeir Allen, all of whom fielded kicks against the Jets, were deep for kicks in Miami, too. Pringle returned one for 14 yards, and Allen took two for 39 yards.

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The Athletic (paywall)

Jayden Daniels stands tall — and kind of scares Dan Quinn — in Commanders’ preseason loss

Escaping the preseason without injuries is the No. 1 goal for any team. That wish goes tenfold with Daniels, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft who passed and ran to the Heisman Trophy last season. The 6-foot-3 quarterback’s slight frame isn’t built for hard hits. The cartoonish blows he absorbed at LSU made sliding a primary topic for the new coaching staff.

“He will. He will, he will,” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said this month. “We’ve harped on it a lot, but you love the competitive nature. It’s just there’s a time and a place for it.”

This time came on a second-and-4 from Washington’s 37-yard on its second possession. Kingsbury called a read-option, and Daniels, after faking the handoff, took off outside right behind the lead block of tight end John Bates. He gained 13 yards but engaged with a pair of Miami defenders before falling to the grass without harm.

Daniels smiled as he spoke with reporters about the run, calling the do-or-don’t decision “a constant battle” and saying it’s a “fine line between knowing when to take chances and when to get down.”

The defense competed without linemen Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Clelin Ferrell, Dante Fowler Jr., and five linebackers, led by Bobby Wagner. Wagner’s tag-team partner, Frankie Luvu, flew around the field in limited work, finishing with four tackles.

Quarterbacks Marcus Mariota (groin) and Sam Hartman (shoulder), offensive tackle Brandon Coleman (shoulder strain), and tight end Zach Ertz (personal) were out. Miami played without star receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Daniels showed no stress in executing Washington’s up-tempo approach, getting teammates quickly to the line of scrimmage and adroitly reading the defense. If Daniels doesn’t dress for the Aug. 25 meeting at Commanders Field against the New England Patriots — good bet he sits — he finishes his first preseason 12-of-15 for 123 yards with 16 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.

Signed early in training camp, the ex-Jacksonville Jaguar is the only kicker on the roster after the team released Ramiz Ahmed following the Jets game.

Quinn supported Patterson after the loss. Still, the Commanders will eventually add another kicker or two, though they might wait until teams trim rosters to 53 players.

Seventh-round edge rusher Javontae Jean-Baptiste, playing ahead of Davis, also had a sack. Washington’s coaches seem pleased with Davis’ effort while switching from linebacker to defensive end. Davis’s physical tools are prominent, as is the 2021 first-round pick’s growth this summer. However, he remains behind other defensive ends, including another player standing out, KJ Henry. Keeping Davis and Jean-Baptiste is conceivable if Washington is willing to keep six defensive ends. That might be challenging if UDFA standout Tyler Owens leads to holding space for seven safeties.

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Sport Illustrated

Washington Commanders Starters Solid, Special Teams Struggles Stand Out in 13-6 Loss

The Washington Commanders are now 0-2 in the 2024 NFL Preseason following a loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The preseason is all about teams trying to find diamonds in the rough, and one of the players they’re trying to tap into is newly transformed outside linebacker Jamin Davis.

Late in the third quarter Miami was driving and in the red zone when Davis came crashing in on quarterback Mike White off the edge forcing a fumble that was recovered by defensive end Andre Jones Jr.

Due to the turnover, Washington took over at their own 26-yard line with quarterback Trace McSorley coming in for his first live game action as a member of the organization. That’s where the good news stopped for the moment, however, as McSorley fumbled the first snap exchange and then was sacked on the next play leading to 3rd and 14, an incomplete pass, and a pretty quick three-and-out.

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NBC Sports

Jayden Daniels again shines in preseason, but doesn’t slide

[N]otes from Daniels’ two series in Miami:

• It’s undeniable that Dyami Brown has established himself as the Commanders second wideout. His chemistry with Daniels is clear and he was the leading pass catcher while Daniels was on the field. Brown also showed good vision on a quick WR screen in the first quarter. Terry McLaurin remains the alpha of the Washington WR room.
• Daniels missed a big gainer with a quick seam throw to John Bates. It was still a completion and picked up a first down, but a better throw could have been a 20-yard+ gain.
• For the second straight week, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury dialed up a screen pass to running back Austin Ekeler. Last week, Daniels audibled out of that play and hit Brown for a big gain, which prompted some funny comments from head coach Dan Quinn. This week? Daniels ran the play and found Ekeler for four yards.

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Podcasts & videos

Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels Solid Again in Preseason | vs. Dolphins Recap | Jamin Davis FF

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Beltway Football – Commanders-Dolphins preseason game: Jayden Daniels looks good in likely last preseason play

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Photos

Commanders.com

Commanders vs. Dolphins | Preseason Week 2

Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders during their Week 2 preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. (Photos by Emilee Fails/Washington Commanders)

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NFC East links

NFL.com

2024 NFL preseason, Week 2: What We Learned from Saturday’s games

Giants QB shaky in first game back. Daniel Jones’ highly anticipated return to action got off to an inauspicious start with his very first throw almost getting picked off. He continued to struggle through his first three drives, with two ending in interceptions, including a pick-six after attempting to throw it away to avoid a safety. Jones settled down a bit over the course of the first half, notably airing it out to Darius Slayton for a pretty 44-yard completion. Jones also gave a first taste of the potential pairing with Malik Nabers, connecting four times for 54 yards, including a couple toe-tapping grabs for the rookie. With only one more game before stats start counting, the Giants will want to see much more from Jones after standing behind him as the starter.

Jayden Daniels respectable again in second preseason action. The rookie QB turned in two solid offensive series against the Dolphins, twice leading the Commanders into field-goal range in another respectable night of work. Daniels’ first drive looked mostly smooth before overthrowing a third-down fade with Miami bringing a blitz, and the Commanders settled for the field-goal try (and missed). It was mostly short attempts in Daniels’ 10-of-12 passing night for 78 yards, but he got through his reads, got the ball out on time and had mostly good ball placement. Daniels also added an easy 13 yards on a read-option keeper; he’s going to be a huge weapon as a runner this year. Defensively, the Commanders rested some starters, but the cornerback concern shouldn’t be ignored. Benjamin St-Juste, one of Washington’s better corners, was beat by River Cracraft on a fade for a touchdown, as Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ first-team offense threw the ball with ease against the entire secondary in their one drive out there. That problem isn’t going away for the Commanders.

For a second straight August, Dallas swapped defensive backs via trade, acquiring Booth from Minnesota in a low-level deal that understandably didn’t move the needle much. Booth made waves Saturday, though, showing off some excellent tackling ability in the open field on his way to a team-best six tackles in the first half. Sure, I could talk about Trey Lance in this space, as Lance put together a couple nice scoring drives, but Booth was the one who impressed me most, especially considering how much of an afterthought the trade was. He might provide some nice depth to a Dallas defense that many expect to be a menace in 2024.

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NFL league links

Articles

Washington Post (paywall)

NFL schedules special owners’ meeting for potential vote on private equity

Owners will meet later this month to further discuss amending league rules to allow investments by private equity firms.

The owners are set to meet Aug. 27 in Minneapolis, a person familiar with the matter confirmed Saturday, where they are expected to continue their months-long discussions on the private equity issue and potentially take a ratification vote. A special committee of owners has been working since last year to consider potential changes to the NFL’s ownership rules, including the possibility of permitting private-equity investments.

This marks the third straight year in which the NFL has scheduled a special owners’ meeting in the summer, in addition to the usual quarterly meetings in March, May, October and December. The owners met in Bloomington, Minn., in July 2023 to ratify the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder to a group led by private equity investor Josh Harris. They met in August 2022, also in Bloomington, to approve the $4.65 billion sale of the Denver Broncos from the Pat Bowlen Trust to a group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton.

The NFL formed the special committee in September to “address all aspects of ownership policy” and consider changes to the set of rules that may have limited the pool of bidders in recent franchise sales. Owners were pleased with the sale to Harris but there was some disappointment that Snyder was unable to prompt a $7 billion bid for the Commanders by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (Bezos owns The Washington Post), a person familiar with the owners’ views said at the time. Some analysts maintained during the process that the rules reduced the pool of prospective bidders and perhaps suppressed the sale price.

The measure must be ratified by at least 24 of the 32 owners.

Goodell told CNBC last month that the league might set an initial limit of a 10 percent stake in a team to private equity. In May, Goodell said there are “a lot of private equity firms, the larger ones, that have a great deal of interest in this.” He added that it was “fair to say that [the owners] agree with the direction we’re going.”

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