Jayden Daniels’ physical transformation will be noticeable before the 2026 season. After speaking with ESPN’s John Keim, Daniels’ personal quarterback coach Ryan Porter, had this to say about Daniels’ plan to put on lean muscle,
Jayden Daniels Physical Transformation
“Jayden’s big thing for this offseason is to put on more body armor. He is trying to get a little bigger, faster, and stronger. Put on some more lean muscle. The guys are bigger, faster, and stronger in the NFL. His focus has been, ‘Let me get my body right.’ I think from a mechanical standpoint, there is not really much for him to focus on.”
Extensive Injury List
In 2025, Daniels had a litany of injuries that kept him out for the majority of the season, including:
- Left knee sprain (Week 2): Daniels suffered a sprained left knee early in the season, causing him to miss the following two games.
- Hamstring strain (Week 7): After returning from his knee injury, Daniels strained his right hamstring in Week 7, which led him to miss another game.
- Dislocated left elbow (Week 9): In a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow — one of the most significant injuries of his season.
- Re-aggravated elbow (Week 14): Daniels returned later in the year but re-injured that same elbow after landing on it during a game, and it ultimately led the Commanders to shut him down for the remainder of the 2025 season.
The Impact of Jayden Daniels’ Physical Transformation
When questioned about how putting weight on will help Daniels in the long run, Porter stated the following:
“In his mind, maybe can be I mean, guys are bigger, faster, stronger in the NFL, you know what I mean? I think this off season is going to be more focused on just getting his health back. I think it benefits both sides, right? Benefits offense, benefits him. It just makes the playbook bigger. It just gives the defense more things that they have to defend. He can still be very dangerous with his legs, even out of that with on some of the boots and getting out.”
Focusing on Recovery
When Keim asked about the physical grind Daniels would put himself through in the offseason, Porter did not give any insight as to why many of the injuries last season took their toll. After a long college run, including a Heisman season, to jumping immediately into an NFL starting role, Porter stated that Daniels’ body never really had a chance to recalibrate. Daniels’ emphasis now is focusing heavily on recovery.
“Let me get a little bit bigger. Let me get, you know, my body right. Because he took a beating. When you do that college year, and then you go in, you win the Heisman, and then you go straight into the NFL, you don’t really have much time, right, to develop.”
2026 Season Outlook
The Washington Commanders are coming off a disappointing 2025 campaign that saw them finish 7-10. The team was plagued with injuries on both offense and defense. After finishing the season prior, making it all the way to the NFC championship, the 2025 season fell considerably short of expectations. With new offensive and defensive coordinators in Washington and the expectation that they will bolster the roster in free agency this offseason, there is a renewed interest in the Commanders being playoff contenders yet again in 2026. One can only hope that Daniels’ physical transformation will keep him healthy for the entirety of their 2026 season.