Following the recent divisional round win against the #1 seed Detroit Lions in Detroit and the NFC championship loss to the #2 seed Philidelphia Eagles on January 27th, there are a lot of questions on how the Commanders turned from being a losing record team to a championship round team.
Before this spectacular season, the Commander’s organization made some huge moves including drafting Jayden Daniels, a quarterback from LSU. Many more moves helped the Commander’s recent success including the signing of tight end, Zach Ertz, who was a huge part of the Commander’s passing game catching for 654 yards and 7 touchdowns.
About Daniels in College
Jayden Daniels has seen a lot of success in his football career. After completing school at Cajon High, Daniels was a 4-star recruit. Daniels was then offered to play at many colleges but chose to play at Arizona State University (ASU) because he wanted to be close to home. After having 3 mediocre seasons at ASU, Daniels decided it was best for him if he moved on from ASU. Daniels was later accepted to LSU where he studied liberal arts for 2 years. Daniels went on to have 2 seasons with LSU, unfortunately never making the playoffs, but Daniels played so well in the 2023 season leading him to win the Heisman Trophy vote.
The NFL Journey Begins
Following the 2024 NFL draft, Daniels was drafted as the #2 overall pick by the Washington Commanders, following the #1 pick Caleb Williams. His 2 teammates Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers were also drafted 23rd overall and 6th overall. Jayden said on draft day “That my childhood dream came true and I’m blessed to be here and be able to hear my name called. I can’t wait to get to work, you know, just be able to spend that time with family. Two of my closest friends in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas and I share this special moment with them too.” ( Jayden Daniels).
Team Chemistry
The Washington Commanders have developed great team chemistry over the 2024-2025 season and have grown vastly from their previous season. The Washington Commanders went from a 4-win team to a 12-win team. This isn’t just from pure talent, it’s also because of the bond created between the team to lead to this success. The introduction of Jayden Daniels was just the beginning. Since 2019 there has been a star receiver on the Commanders waiting to take off, without any good quarterbacks since 2019 it hasn’t allowed, wide receiver Terry Mclaurin to show his true potential. Mclaurin has had an amazing season with Jayden Daniels, which has had a huge impact on their success as a team. Through the 2024-2025 season, Mclaurin had a spectacular 82 receptions for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns. Another great leader in this Commander’s offense is a tight end, Zach Ertz. Zach Ertz is a veteran player who has been monumental for the Commanders and the Philidelphia Eagles, the team he lost to in the recent championship game. Ertz played for the Philidelphia Eagles for 9 years and has been a fan favorite, especially when he scored the game-winning touchdown in Superbowl LII, taking down the defending Superbowl champions, the New England Patriots.
The Future to Come
The future looks bright for this Commanders team, with a new quarterback, veteran players, and a promising head coach. Terry Mclaurin said in the locker room following the championship loss, “We fell short of that, but that doesn’t take away from the great people we had in this locker room and what we built here. It’s something to build off of going into next year.” Just like last year, the commanders plan on taking chances at next year’s draft and free agency to hopefully bring the commanders their first Super Bowl win since 1992.
