Washington Commanders announce rookie QB Jayden Daniels will play first preseason game

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has announced that rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is going to play in the team’s first preseason game, per Adam Schefter.

That first preseason game will be played on Saturday, August 10th against the New York Jets and will be on the road. It’s one of three games that Washington will have to get Daniels ready for the regular season. However, Quinn did not note if Daniels would start, just that he would play.

The number two overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jayden Daniels is a quarterback Washington hopes to build around long term. He’s not been named the starter yet, though, as the team is preparing for the season with Jeff Driskel , Sam Hartman , and Marcus Mariota all currently on the roster as well.

This comes shortly after the Chicago Bears made the decision not to play first overall pick and presumed starter Caleb Williams in their first preseason game. However, as that was the Hall of Fame game, the Bears do get an extra preseason game.

Washington is looking for some stability at the quarterback position after using 13 different starting quarterbacks since 2017. In fact, in 2023 Sam Howell became the first Washington starting quarterback to start every game since Kirk Cousins in 2017. Now, with a significant investment made in Jayden Daniels, the expectation is he fills that starting role for the foreseeable future.

Daniels is coming to the NFL after having a long and successful college career. He played three years at Arizona State before transferring to LSU for the final two seasons of his career. There, in 2023, he was able to win the Heisman Trophy. Within the pre-draft process, there was plenty of debate about Daniels, with some people even arguing he should have been the first overall pick.

Now, Washington fans know they’ll get a good look at him during the team’s first preseason game.

NFL insider ‘not buying’ that Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota competing for starting QB job in Washington

Washington has not named a starting quarterback, making it seem that Marcus Mariota could earn the job. However, ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano disagreed with that notion.

“I’m not buying the idea that it’s a competition in Washington between second overall pick Jayden Daniels and former No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota, and neither does anyone else I talk to about this,” Graziano wrote . “I think Daniels starts Week 1 as long as everyone’s healthy. If there’s a question in Washington, it’s about the offensive line and his protection.”

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