Bills Central

Bills' GM offers take on Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels impressed Buffalo Bills' general manager Brandon Beane this season.

Jeremy Brener

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen dazzled as the best in the league last season, but there was a rising star on his tail.

Lamar Jackson was a close runner-up to Allen in the NFL MVP race, but it was a different quarterback in the DMV area who made a difference.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year and was Allen's counterpart in the NFC of quarterbacks who fell one game short of the Super Bowl.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane spoke about Daniels recently to ESPN insider John Keim and praised his leap in his first NFL season.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels runs with the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

"Ultimately make sure he is protected," Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said. "How does he play as many games as possible? [Daniels is] an elusive runner as well, so having those conversations with him as well of being smart. We had to have a lot of those with Josh and sometimes still do. He can be a knucklehead sometimes.

"It's just showing him on film, 'Hey, you had an opportunity to get out of bounds. You had an opportunity to get down.' Having those discussions about when do you need to put your body on the line, and when do you not? You can't put him in bubble wrap, but [it's about] protecting him with the line and then him protecting himself."

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It's clear that Beane sees a lot in Daniels, and if Allen emerged into an MVP, he could have some competition in a few years when the Commanders quarterback grows into his prime.

The Commanders and Bills hold consecutive picks in the first round of the NFL Draft at Nos. 29 and 30.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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