Jayden Daniels listed as QB1 on Washington Commanders depth chart ahead of preseason opener

The Washington Commanders have listed Jayden Daniels as the top quarterback on their depth chart ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener against the New York Jets.

Head coach Dan Quinn said Tuesday that Daniels has “surpassed” his expectations coming in as the No. 2 overall pick.

“I had high expectations coming in, but he’s definitely surpassed even my expectations of the readiness, the command,” Quinn said . “I knew he was gonna be cool knowing the system, like he’s just got that way about him. But you do see the other players gravitate toward him. They recognize how hard he’s worked at it.”

Daniels, 23, will get the start versus the Jets ahead of Marcus Mariota , the veteran signal-caller brought in during the offseason. While the depth chart is unofficial, it’s clear Daniels is in the lead to be under center in Week 1, officially taking the Commanders into a new era.

“Going out there will be a different challenge, for not just me but for the whole team, going against somebody you’re not familiar with,” Daniels said of making his NFL debut. “[We’ll] see where the cards fall knowing that we can go out there and we can make mistakes. We try to execute at a high level, but that’s kind of what this time is for, to go out there and see what we can do and what we can’t do. Trial and error and move forward.”

Jayden Daniels ready to take on new challenges in the NFL

Daniels does come into the league with a load of collegiate starts under his belt, and a Heisman Trophy in his possession. In two seasons at LSU, he threw for 6,725 yards, 57 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 70.2% passing. He added 2,019 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.

The NFL, however, is a completely different challenge, one Daniels is excited to take on. The Jets represent quite the first opponent for Daniels, as they ranked in the top five this past season in defending against opposing quarterbacks.

“Go out and see where I’m at, challenge myself, challenge their defense,” Daniels said. “Obviously it’s a very good secondary and very good defense. See where we stand.”

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