Jayden Daniels took the NFL by storm last year, not just with his numbers but with the tangible transformation he brought to the Washington Commanders’ standing in the points table.
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In what many are calling one of the greatest rookie quarterback seasons of all time, Daniels led a team that went 4-13 the year before to the NFC Championship Game — their first appearance at that stage in 33 years.
Impressively, his stats were as staggering as his impact: 25 passing touchdowns, 6 rushing scores, a 70.6 QBR, and 3,568 passing yards with 891 rushing yards to match in the regular season. But… as dominant and proactive as Daniels has been, former NFL lineman and Fox analyst Mark Schlereth had a word of caution for the young star and his red-hot squad.
“The young quarterback — you watched him week in and week out just address the mistakes and not repeat mistakes, which is huge,” Schlereth said on his latest appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.
“Like hey, I understand the mistakes are going to happen — it’s when you don’t repeat those mistakes,” he added.
According to Schlereth, that mindset needs to become a team-wide priority heading into 2025. Why? Because while Washington’s results have been electrifying, their path to victory has often been razor-thin. The Commanders won nine one-score games this season — a stat that can signal either clutch resilience or unsustainable volatility. Just like we saw with the Chiefs last year; in their case, it was the latter.
“You would have to think at some point you’re kind of going to regress a little bit — in your fourth-down conversion opportunities, in the one-score games, you might lose a couple of those,” Schlereth warned.
And that’s already happened. Four of Washington’s losses last season came by one-score margins. That’s 13 out of 17 games decided by eight points or fewer — a sign that while the Commanders have won big games, they’ve been walking a tightrope to get there.
That’s where the analyst’s message hits home: if the Commanders — and Daniels — want to evolve from thrilling to dependable, they need to cut down on errors and make their wins less dramatic, more controlled.
That starts with consistency, better protection (Daniels was sacked 47 times last season), and support from a cast that, aside from Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, lacks star power.
Still, Schlereth offered praise where it’s due.
“That’s a good team,” he said. “I love — I’m a big Dan Quinn fan. I love the attitude and the attention to detail. You walk out on that football field on Friday practice, man, and they are dialed in — as a staff and as players.”
Washington’s 2024 has been a statement. But their 2025 will depend on whether they can turn thrilling wins into routine ones. And if the reigning Rookie of the Year continues his trajectory — cutting mistakes, leading smart football, and growing from the razor-thin margins, there’s no telling just how high the ceiling can go.
Safe to say, all eyes will be on the Commanders star this season!
