The dismal recent history of the Commanders led to a lot of talk about quarterback Jayden Daniels being something of a franchise savior when he was selected with the second overall pick this year, but Daniels deflected such talk by saying that he’s just a rookie.
Daniels has done nothing to quiet lofty talk about what he’ll mean to the organization over his first four games, however. Daniels set a record for the highest completion percentage in the first four weeks of any NFL season and the Commanders are 3-1 over those games. During a Wednesday press conference, Daniels interrupted a question regarding that success while saying that he’s “still a rookie.” He was then asked if he could at least be regarded as a “star rookie.”
“Y’all can say whatever y’all you want,” Daniels said. “I’m still a rookie in my eyes, so I let everybody else do the talking for me. I don’t get caught up in that stuff. It’s just a blessing. Just the preparation, obviously the team believing in me and we’re going out there and competing every Sunday.”
Daniels said it’s vital that he stays “level-headed” because he knows all of the people singing his praises will do the opposite if he should have a bad outing or two. That’s why he wants to “keep the main thing the main thing” by focusing on his play rather than what anyone might be saying about him.
