The Washington Commanders have the best quarterback in NFC East, if you believe longtime NFL cornerback Fred Smoot.
Smoot, who spent seven of his nine NFL seasons in Washington, recently called Jayden Daniels the top quarterback in the Commanders’ division.
Daniels, of course, won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year last season and led the Commanders to a 12-5 record and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. A year before at LSU, he won the Heisman Trophy, which is what landed him with the Commanders at the No. 2 overall pick.
Daniels finished with a 69.0 completion percentage and 25-9 touchdown-to-interception rate. He also led all QBs with 822 passing yards and five touchdowns in the playoffs, even though the Commanders lost 55-23 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the conference-title game.
Why Is Jayden Daniels The Best Quarterback In The NFC East?
Even though the Commanders QB was the breakout star of 2024, Daniels is being judged against the reigning Super Bowl champion quarterback Jalen Hurts. That is because the Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is coming off a serious injury and the New York Giants have a revolving door at quarterback.
But according to Smoot, Daniels is superior at both running and passing.
“The best thrower of the ball in the NFC East is Jayden Daniels,” Smoot said the most recent episode of “Get Loud” on the Commanders website. “The best runner of the football is Jayden Daniels. That makes him the No. 1 quarterback.”
In fairness to Hurts, he is asked to do less in the Philadelphia offense than Daniels did last year — especially last year after the Eagles added All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley. Hurts finished with a 68.4 completion percentage and scored the bulk of his 14 rushing TDs from a yard out — on the Brotherly Shove play.
By comparison, Daniels only had six rushing touchdowns, but had a better long run (46) than Hurts (35).
“I think Jayden throws the ball with more precision and anticipation than [Hurts] does,” Smoot said. “I think Jayden is a more dangerous runner.”
What Can Jayden Daniels Do For An Encore in 2025?
The Commanders have high hopes for the season ahead, thanks to Daniels and the sterling culture set by second-year coach Dan Quinn.
But this year will be crucial for the Commanders, since they have not reached the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 1991-92 when they made the playoffs three straight seasons.
Still, Washington will have the bullseye on its back, especially since it split the regular-season meetings with the Eagles. The Commanders’ 2025 schedule will be extra challenging, plus they will be in the spotlight with at least five primetime games — plus an international game against the Miami Dolphins and Christmas Day date against the Cowboys.
Yet, according to Smoot, the Commanders are in good shape leading into the year, thanks to Daniels’ little-thought-about intangible: his leadership, which is still remarkable to current and former NFL players alike.
“That’s why I’m just so flabbergasted by what Jayden Daniels has done,” Smoot said. “He doesn’t go reaching for leadership; he goes asking for it … It’s so easy when you got that guy in the room.”
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