The rookie has taken to the NFL like a duck to water.
When you think of impressive seasons for rookie quarterbacks, certain names jump to mind.
Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger – and more recently CJ Stroud and Justin Herbert – to name a few.
If the first five weeks of the 2024 NFL season are anything to go by, Jayden Daniels will be joining that list.
Taken with the second overall pick in this year’s draft, Daniels has led the Commanders to a 4-1 start. They top the NFC East at the time of writing.
This has not been a fluke, Daniels has looked the real deal. The last two wins – against the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns – have been by over 20 points.
While Daniels’ talent is clear to anyone who has watched the Commanders this season, do the numbers back him up?
Records already being broken
The headline is clear. Daniels is the first player in NFL history with over 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards in his first five games.
He has cleared both targets by a fair margin as well, notching up 1,135 passing yards and 300 rushing yards through five weeks.
Daniels came into the NFL as a duel-threat quarterback, but he has exceeded expectations – to this point – in both departments.
Let’s start on the ground. In Week 5, the Commanders once again had three rushing touchdowns.
They have scored three or more touchdowns on the ground in four of their first five games – only the 1954 San Francisco 49ers can claim to have done the same.
In fact, they have scored 13 rushing touchdowns already this season. That is tied with the 1975 Miami Dolphins for the most since 1970.
Through the air, Daniels’ numbers are equally as impressive.
Daniels has completed 77.1% of his pass attempts through the first five games of the season.
That number puts him second in NFL history for players with over 100 pass attempts through five weeks of an NFL season – not just rookies!
The only player who can claim to have held a better completion percentage is Drew Brees, who just beats Daniels with 77.9% back in 2018.
Overall, Daniels is one of only three rookie quarterbacks to start and win four of his first five games in the NFL – joining Dak Prescott and Joe Ferguson.
Long story short, the future is bright in Washington.
