Jayden Daniels' injuries and the Washington Commanders' poor play led to a big step back

Late in this disaster of a season for the Washington Commanders, one filled with poor play, lopsided losses and a litany of injuries — none more significant than the series of issues that affected Jayden Daniels — coach Dan Quinn was asked to offer an evaluation of his star quarterback's second year in the NFL.

“Obviously,” Quinn said, “there's not enough information to give you a full report on things. ... But as an overall assessment, we've all missed the mark.”

So true.

Washington, which closed out its 5-12 campaign with a meaningless 24-17 win at the Philadelphia Eagles and their backups on Sunday, didn't do much to impress anyone in what was a real step back after a 12-5 record and run to the NFC championship game a year ago.

And Daniels, specifically, went from the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who appeared in all 20 of the Commanders' games, often leading them to spectacular finishes, to someone who barely was available. Limited by knee, hamstring and left elbow problems, the Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU and No. 2 overall draft pick played in just seven games and threw for only eight touchdowns before being shut down last month.

“I wish I was out there more,” Daniels said. “That’s kind of the focus for me this offseason — rebuilding myself from the ground up.”

Daniels' gruesome elbow injury

Among the lasting images of the 2025 season for the Commanders will be the awkward, ugly way Daniels' non-throwing arm bent when he was tackled in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks in November. Quinn acknowledged the next day that the QB shouldn't have even been in the lineup still.

Daniels never was prone to missing time in college, or as a rookie in the pros, but he couldn't seem to avoid it this season, raising questions about whether he needs to adjust his playing style at all or learn how to get out of harm's way.

On the other hand, this was Daniels' take: “I mean, I can’t really avoid the injuries that I’ve dealt with. Those are just freak accidents.”

Commanders struggled to compete

There was an eight-game losing streak that took Washington from a 3-2 record to 3-10. Within that stretch, there was a four-game span in which the Commanders dropped every contest by at least 21 points apiece.

"It's been," wideout Terry McLaurin said, “a long season.”

Things began inauspiciously enough way back before the games even started, when McLaurin — Daniels' top playmaker — held out while seeking a new extension, which eventually arrived. But he, like so many other key players, then missed a ton of time while hurt.

Washington’s defense slumped

By any measure, the Commanders were incapable of stopping opponents. They allowed an NFL-worst 384 yards per game. They forced just 10 turnovers, a total better only than the New York Jets' four. Washington gave up 26.5 points each time out; only five teams were worse in that category.

‘Bill’ was a rare bright spot

Rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, whose nickname is “Bill,” didn't play like a seventh-rounder, ending up with 805 yards on 175 carries for a 4.6 average and eight TDs. It's unclear whether his fumbling might make the team take it slowly with him and look elsewhere for a starter at that position.

Next steps

There will need to be a lot of evaluation to figure out what went wrong, and while Daniels needs new playmakers at receiver and tight end, the unit that requires the most analysis is the defense. One move might be to jettison Joe Whitt Jr., who had no success as the defensive coordinator this season and first was moved from the booth to the sideline on game day, then stripped of play-calling duties by Quinn. Quinn could retain that responsibility or hire a new coordinator.

General manager Adam Peters will need to reconstruct a unit that lacked talent and is in dire need of a pass rusher or two, a linebacker or two and a defensive back or two. The overall roster depth is another major concern that will need to be addressed via the draft — Washington holds six picks currently, only two in the initial four rounds — and free agency. The good news: Peters has the most salary cap space in the league.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL