Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn understandably is waiting until at least after Saturday’s preseason game at the New York Jets to name a Week 1 starting quarterback between rookie Jayden Daniels and veteran Marcus Mariota.
It sounds like Jets star cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner believes Daniels is ready for live action in meaningful games following Thursday’s joint practice between New York and Washington.
“He’s going to be nice,” Gardner said about Daniels, as the New York Post’s Brian Costello and Bryan Manning of Commanders Wire/USA Today shared. “…I just told him you’re going to be real good. It was great just to be able to line up against him. As a corner, you wanna go against a rookie quarterback, but he’s one of those guys; he’s developed; obviously, he was drafted that high.”
While Gardner is regarded as one of the NFL’s best young defensive backs, Daniels is viewed as a hoped-to-be franchise savior after the Commanders made him the second overall pick of the 2024 draft. Daniels is on track to start for Washington at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, and he already impressed both Jets players and onlookers with his performance on Thursday.
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr mentioned how Daniels threw receivers open “at least three times” during Thursday’s joint practice against one of the league’s top-rated defenses. Orr added that the first-year pro possessed “the ability to manufacture some completions in situations where they may not otherwise exist” while throwing footballs in rainy conditions.
“He’s an impressive kid,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said about Daniels, per Caio Miari of The Score. “… I know our building thought very highly of him also. They got a good one to work with.”
Until Quinn says otherwise, the door remains open for Mariota to outperform Daniels during preseason play and earn the right to start Washington’s regular-season opener at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 8. The job seemingly is Daniels’ to lose, though. It appears that individuals within the Jets, such as Gardner and Saleh, expect the 23-year-old will make Quinn’s decision easy beginning with Saturday’s exhibition matchup.
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