Commanders News: Can Jayden Daniels deliver an MVP season in ‘26?

The Daily Slop – 12 June 2026

Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!

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NFL MVP dark horses: Jayden Daniels among top nine candidates in 2026

What a difference a year makes. Last summer, the oddsmakers had Daniels much closer to the top of the board at MVP. The vibes were off the charts coming off Washington’s surprise run to the NFC Championship Game, with Daniels winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

After an injury-plagued 2025 season, everyone’s waiting to see how he will get off the mat. Washington’s running a new offense coordinated by 30-year-old former QB David Blough, who will ask Daniels to take more snaps from under center. I won’t blame the third-year passer if the burden feels heavy. After the Commanders were very aggressive in adding support for him last offseason — trading for Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel — this year’s moves were far less splashy. At the moment, third-round pick Antonio Williams is the most notable addition to the receiving corps, which is badly in need of more juice opposite Terry McLaurin.

I worry that the first three games — at Eagles, at Cowboys, vs. Seahawks — could derail Daniels and Co. before we reach October, but he’s surprised us before. When healthy, he has the potential to be one of the most electric playmakers in the game. If the Commanders are playoff contenders come December, it will be because Daniels is playing out of his mind.

From Commanders.com

Paulsen: “It is kinda half-baked, but part of me is like, ‘Why not?’ I think it’s very, very possible…This is an interesting one to me, because it’s so hard to determine. That’s why it’s half-baked. Determining long-term success is really hard, but in that 2024 season, we saw special stuff from him … When he’s on, there’s a magic to him.”
Smoot: “Caleb had a down in his first year and bounced back last year. Drake Maye, I don’t think he had a down, but he just started slow. And Bo Nix is the one I’m most confused about, because he balls when he’s healthy. But there’s something going on with Sean Payton that we don’t know.”
Moss: “I think when you think about it, his rookie season…he was on the verge of being an MVP. If he didn’t hurt those ribs, who knows? I think it’s very possible, and to me, one of the things that builds or creates those kind of guys, those outstanding achievers that are looked at as the greatest of their position, is going through what he’s went through. He had an up, then he had a down. So, where do you lie, young fella?”

Riggo’s Rag