Reporter surprises Jayden Daniels by telling him he's starting Commanders preseason game against the Jets

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn made an official , yet unsurprising announcement on Sunday when he told reporters quarterback Jayden Daniels will play against the New York Jets on Saturday.

The full details weren't fleshed out, however, when it comes to if Daniels will start the game or how long he'll play. No one in attendance asked, therefore, Quinn didn't elaborate.

That still doesn't guarantee we would've gotten answers if someone did ask, though, as Daniels himself doesn't even know if he's starting or not on Saturday.

"I'm just love playing football so I'm happy about it," Daniels said after Sunday's practice. "I always knew I was going to play. I don't know when I'm going to play. At least I have the opportunity to go out there and play, so I'm excited for it."

Not too long after Daniels' comment, a reporter surprised him when starting off a question by saying the former Heisman Trophy winner was actually, in fact, starting on Saturday and Daniels' response was not only genuine, but pretty funny, as you can see at the 8:29 mark in the below video:

"Starting? For real? Starting?" Daniels says in a surprised fashion as he looks over to the side. "I know I'm playing. I don't know if I'm starting or not, but my family is going to be there, regardless. It's my first game, as far as, you know, in the NFL and it's my first snaps, so my family is going to be there."

It was a harmless interaction, but also once again, a reminder that Daniels has yet to be named the official starter for the Commanders. Quinn and co. have a plan for Daniels and they are sticking to it. Overall, Daniels feels he has a ways to go, but that the offense, as a whole, is progressing just fine.

"I've still got some ways to go," Daniels said. "Just little stuff. It's their decision and I trust them fully... For me, I just go out there and [think], how can I better myself each and every day and just go out there and compete hard?

"... I feel like the whole unit, from the 1s, the 2s, to the 3s, whomever is in there is making progress and getting comfortable in [Commanders offensive coordinator] Kliff [Kingsbury's] system."

The latest practice reports have Daniels on the right path, as he's continuing progress and show he's capable of becoming the guy the Commanders envisioned when they took him second overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. The New York Jets represent a nice test for the rookie and if he passes in impressive fashion, it'll be interesting to see how the Commanders structure camp not only the next week, but in future practices/games, as well.