Jayden Daniels is 'a problem' according to Bucs coaches but it's going to be hard for him to make plays in Week 1

There's a reason why Jayden Daniels is a former Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft: the dude can shred a defense through the air and on the ground.

He's the only player in FBS history to throw for more than 12,000 yards and run for more than 3,000. He scored 50 total touchdowns during his Heisman campaign, including an insane game against the Florida Gators where he racked up 606 total yards of offense and five touchdowns. That night, he achieved another FBS first, as he became the first player in FBS history to record at least 350 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in a single game.

"I think the first play I saw when I was kind of going through the cutups was the fade ball he dropped in there against the Jets," Bucs defensive run game coordinator/defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers told reporters Thursday. "When he sees man coverage, he knows how to drop it in there. And then you go put on his scramble reel from LSU and it looks kinda sickening. He's not just getting five yards - he's getting 55. So, he is a problem when he decides to take off [and] he can make all the throws. He's going to be a tremendous young player."

“Any time you face a dual-threat quarterback, it’s going to be a problem," Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Monday. "He can beat you with his legs or his arm. He was taken that high for a reason. He’s very accurate, very calm in the pocket, has a good mastery of the offense from what we’ve seen…It’s going to be tough trying to keep him in the pocket and trying to cover those guys.”

Daniels certainly has all the tools to make his NFL debut a successful that ends in both a good stat line and a win, but it's a lot easier said than done when looking at the defense he's facing in the Bucs' crew.

Since Bowles came to town, the Bucs are 10-5 against rookie QBs, per FOX Sports' Greg Auman , but that's not the point, here. Bowles' defense is as aggressive as they come and it is full of exotic blitz packages that can confuse even the best of signal-callers. I mean, just look what he was able to do against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

The Bucs defense is in good shape heading into 2024 and Bowles has even called it the fastest unit he's had since his arrival in 2019. That's a pretty scary thought, considering the ins and outs/philosophy of his system. He's already going to throw everything at opposing offenses - it makes it all the harder on them if guys are flying around at top speed.

That's going to be a problem for a Commanders offense that, outside of Daniels and a couple of others, lacks playmakers in a big way. Terry McLaurin and Brian Robinson will be the main focal points of the offense, along with Zach Ertz at times. Beyond them, however, is nothing but question marks.

The offensive line is a huge question mark, as well. Right now, no one knows what the left tackle position will look like and Sam Cosmi is the only guaranteed product. Everyone else has a lot to prove and again, the Bucs defense will provide a very tough first test.

As the No. 2 overall pick and prospective franchise QB, Daniels is expected to lift those around him, but that's a tough ask to accomplish with this crew down in the Florida heat. The Bucs defense should be able to contain him, along with everyone else, to where it's a pretty pedestrian day for the Commanders offense.

Daniels looks like a 'five-year pro' and that will be the key to a good performance

The biggest factor working in Daniels' favor is the fact he looks wise beyond his years. We saw what he did in the Jets game that Rodgers referenced and that's pretty much been the story since OTAs and minicamp. Coaches and teammates have lauded his grasp of the offense and his confidence level when running Kliff Kingsbury's system.

"The moxie that he has when he's under center [and] the ability go back and forth with Bobby Wagner as if he's a five-year pro - you don't see rookies don't do that," Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said before Thursday's practice. "... He's a leader. You don't have to be a 30-year-old man to be a leader in this league. He is a leader, right now, and he's somebody that the guys want to follow."

And, of course, there's Daniels' killer instinct, which again, was what we saw during the Jets game when he "buzzed the tower" and chose to run his own audible instead of the play Kingsbury initially called.

"He's pretty laidback and a chill cat, but when he steps onto that field, he's trying to rip your head off," Kingsbury told reporters Thursday. "And he's talking trash to the DC, the DBs, and everyone else, but it's fun-natured. That's just watching him compete... so just to see that competitive nature come out in that first game... that will be a lot of fun for me to witness."

There's also the story of the Commanders defense

A good defense can really help a rookie quarterback, but there's one problem: The Commanders defense, on paper, is a major question mark.

The interior defensive line duo of Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne is as good as it comes and the linebacker duo of Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner is stout, as well. But the secondary, primarily the cornerback position, and the defensive end group leave much to be desired.

Washington doesn't have a true No. 1 pass rusher on the outside, which hurts Allen and Payne (the latter of which is currently dealing with a back injury). If the Bucs' interior offensive line holds up against those two, then that makes All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs' and second-year right tackle Luke Goedeke's lives easier than they already will be.

Then, a very shaky cornerback group has to go up against Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan. This trio could easily be No. 1 in the NFL by the end of 2024 and it's going to require safety help to contain the passing attack. If the Commanders can't get home with four and safeties are helping over the top, that's going to leave the middle of the field wide open to where Chris Godwin and Cade Otton, along with the Bucs' running game, will eat all day long.

The added pressure from the Bucs offense hypothetically making plays and scoring a bunch of points only heightens the environment that surrounds Daniels on Sunday.

There's zero doubt Daniels has all the tools to win the first start of his NFL career, but there are just too many factors working against him to assume he's going to hit the ground running. Transcendence is a key trait for all franchise quarterbacks, however, and if Daniels can overcome the obstacles facing him in Week 1, you better believe the hype train will be on the NFL's Autobahn and heading straight to Washington.