Austin Ekeler Shares Fiery Example of Jayden Daniels's Improved Year 2 Leadership

No. 5 isn't afraid to keep players in line for his second NFL campaign.

"He's holding the standard, letting everyone know this is how we play," Ekeler said of Daniels. "If you're not playing at this level, you can't be on the field." / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Now that his rookie year is in the rearview, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is ready to take the next big step in his QB1 journey—becoming leader of the team.

Last season, coach Dan Quinn wanted Daniels to focus first and foremost on playing while he got used to life in the NFL. But this year, No. 5 is stepping into a new role: head honcho.

For example, on Thursday, Daniels kicked a teammate out of the huddle during practice after said teammate committed a false start penalty, per Commanders running back Austin Ekeler.

"He said, 'Get out, we can't be doing that,'" Ekeler told ESPN's John Keim. "That's leadership we wouldn't have seen last year. He's holding the standard, letting everyone know this is how we play. If you're not playing at this level, you can't be on the field. That's awesome to see in a quarterback."

Daniels himself also feels more at ease in his second campaign.

"It's being more comfortable in the offense," he said. "I understand what [offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury] is calling and what we want to accomplish as an offense. I have different tools in my tool belt to get to different protections, to get to different runs versus certain looks."

And of course, he knows and is embracing a new part of his job—keeping others in line, and enforcing a high bar at all times.

"I'm the one that has to uphold the standard," he continued. "If guys are false-starting, it's next guy up. I hold myself accountable. If I mess up, I look to Zach [Ertz] and guys like that to hold me accountable."

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