Commander Country

Will Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Wins 'Close Race' For Rookie of the Year?

One ESPN writer predicts Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

David Harrison

Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisiana State quarterback Jayden Daniels (QB01) talks to the
Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisiana State quarterback Jayden Daniels (QB01) talks to the / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
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The Washington Commanders have a proud history as an NFL franchise yet somehow only have two NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winners in their record books.

New Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is looking to make it three, and he'd be the second in his position to win the award after Robert Griffin III who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft and subsequently brought home the honor.

READ MORE: Jayden Daniels' Jersey Number Revealed

In a recent collection of award predictions for the rookie class of 2024 one ESPN writer chose Daniels to bring the award back to Washington for the first time in over 10 years.

"This will be a close race with (Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb) Williams and possibly a receiver such as (Arizona Cardinals Marvin) Harrison, but Daniels is set up for success," Jeremy Fowler writes. "Washington has a chance to be sneaky good. Daniels has adequate skill players around him in (receiver) Terry McLaurin, (receiver) Jahan Dotson, (tight end) Zach Ertz, (and running backs) Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler. Some evaluators considered Daniels the most pro-ready quarterback on Day 1. Kliff Kingsbury's system is good for passing yards, and Daniels will accumulate rushing yards to bolster his case."

While Fowler was the only one to vote for Daniels in the pre-training camp survey Williams didn't run away with the predictions as some might have expected. Instead, he only beat out Harrison by one vote.

READ MORE: Looking at Washington Commanders' Strength of Schedule

Meanwhile, the selection of another quarterback - Washington's Michael Penix Jr. who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons - took home the distinction of being the most 'head-scratching' pick of this year's NFL Draft.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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David Harrison

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has covered the NFL since 2015 as a digital content creator in both written and audio media. He is the host of Locked On Commanders and a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His previous career was as a Military Working Dog Handler for the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.