If you told any Washington Commanders fan, one year ago, that the team would make the playoffs in each of the first 2 seasons with quarterback Jayden Daniels, they would have probably laughed you off. It was too unbelievable of a notion.
The Commanders — and their fans — enter 2025 in a much different state of mind.
After making the NFC Championship Game during Daniels’ rookie season in 2024, the Commanders enter his second season with Super Bowl hopes.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon spelled out the opposite side of that, laying out what the “nightmare” scenario for the Commanders in 2025 could be as this: “If Jayden Daniels pulls a C.J. Stroud from 2024.”
Stroud was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 and his play took a big step back in 2024 — even if the Houston Texans made the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
Just making the playoffs might not be good enough for the Commanders, though.
Stroud Took Alarming Step Backwards in 2024
Stroud wasn’t just the best rookie quarterback in the NFL in 2023, he was one of the best quarterback in the league regardless of age. He also made the Pro Bowl and finished eighth in NFL MVP voting.
His play in 2024 turned heads in the way you don’t want to turn heads. He threw for less yards, less touchdowns and more interceptions in 2 less starts and the Texans stumbled to a 10-7 record — their same record for 2023 — but won a playoff game and advanced to the AFC Divisional Round for the second consecutive season.
Stroud, who could be in line for a massive contract extension after this season, didn’t shoulder the blame for his bad play. Instead, the Texans traded away a pair of his starting offensive linemen in Kenyon Green and Laremy Tunsil and fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
More recently, Stroud sparked concerns by not throwing during the start of Houston’s OTAs due to shoulder issues.
“The Texans opened OTAs on May 28 and Stroud hasn’t thrown passes during any of the media’s watching periods,” ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime wrote on June 3. “The most Stroud has done with the starting offense is execute handoffs to running backs during 11-on-11 walk-throughs … (head coach Demeco Ryans) didn’t provide clarity and declined to answer if his Pro Bowl quarterback had any offseason treatment done on his throwing shoulder.”
Daniels Had Relatively Quite Offseason So Far
One thing the Commanders can breathe a sigh of relief about is that Daniels has had a relatively quiet offseason and seems totally focused on what his team needs out of him in 2025.
That’s comforting, because Stroud seemed omnipresent during the offseason following his rookie year. And not in a good way.
“It’s hard not to notice that Stroud has been much quieter this offseason in the public sphere,” FOX Sports NFL Reporter Ben Arthur wrote on May 29. “Perhaps that’s by design. Last offseason, he traveled to China, Japan, Morocco and France for various commitments. He was at Radio Row ahead of the Super Bowl. He played in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. He attended Michael Rubin’s exclusive White Party for celebrities. He went on several podcasts. By contrast, maybe his most notable public appearance since the 2024 season ended was attending the Rockets-Warriors first-round NBA playoff series — in Houston.”
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