Jayden Daniels is kicking off his NFL career with a record-breaking performance. The Washington Commanders quarterback helped the team win 38–33 against the Cincinnati Bengals during Monday Night Football, his third game in the league.
As Sports Illustrated reported, Daniels completed 21-of-23 pass attempts and recorded a 91.3% completion rate — the best percentage by a rookie quarterback in the NFL. He broke the record set by Dak Prescott from the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. So far, Daniels has completed over 80% of his pass attempts in his three games.
“Yes and no,” Daniels said in response to being asked if he’s surprised by his success so early on, according to NBC Sports. “Yes, because obviously it’s something new to me as I continue this journey in my rookie year. But also, I put in the work, and what’s done in the dark will always come to light. I just know I’m prepared for these moments week in and week out. Just got to go out there and play football and execute.”
The Washington Commanders selected Daniels as their No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“We knew it was Jayden for a while,” the team’s general manager Adam Peters said at the time, per ESPN. “It would have taken a lot for it to not be Jayden. The whole building I would say was unanimous on that one. It’s easy to see why.”
“The way he can process, the way he can see the field, the way he goes through his reads, the way he delivers [the ball] on time. He’s the best deep-ball thrower in the draft,” he added. “And that’s even before we start watching him run and the way he runs he just takes your soul as a defense. You think you got him and then all of a sudden, he rips off a 40-yard run. And this is against the SEC, the best of the best.”
It seems as if Peters is more than pleased with Daniels’ performance, saying, “He wasn’t handed anything. He’s earned everything he’s got.”
Daniels will be back on the field to play against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 29.