One of the reasons why the Commanders took Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in this year’s draft is his ability to make big plays as both a runner and a passer, but the Commanders would like to see more of the latter in the coming weeks.
Daniels ran 16 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers, but the positives were mitigated by some big hits. Daniels, who was also sacked twice and had a third one wiped out by a Bucs penalty, lost his helmet on a couple of those shots and the Commanders would like to see him exposed to fewer of them in the future.
Quinn said at a Monday press conference that ""not all of those are designed quarterback runs” and that there are some spots where Daniels will realize he needs to throw the ball rather than try to pick up all the yards himself.
“We’d love to see him remain a passer first,” Quinn said. “I think it’s going to come with more experience, honestly. When I can go extend it to throw it, when, ‘Hey, this plays over, I’ll get rid of it and move on to the next play.’ So, I think you’ll see that trajectory continue as we go. Certainly, [16] carries is not the model that we’re looking for, certainly with Brian [Robinson] and Austin [Ekeler] and others here. But at the end of it, I do think we’ll continue to grow in that spot. But certainly not by design to have that many.”
Terry McLaurin only had two catches against Tampa and finding a way to build up the rookie’s connection with the No. 1 wideout would be a good way to lessen the need for Daniels to take off and run against the Giants in Week Two.