Hogs Haven
Everyone saw this one coming
At Thursday night’s NFL Honors ceremony, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the year. AP reports that he received 49 of 50 first-place votes, with Sam Monson’s vote going to Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and his 2nd place vote going to Daniels. Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse was an overwhelming choice for AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
NFL.com summarized Daniels’ rookie season this way:
In just one season, Daniels completely turned around the fortunes of Washington’s franchise.
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft earned the starting job in training camp and quickly proved he could handle the responsibilities of a starting quarterback in the NFL, leading the Commanders to a 7-2 start that included a heart-stopping win over Chicago via Hail Mary in Week 8.
That play put Daniels on the map, but those who paid attention to his performance from Week 1 onward already knew he was a special player. Daniels executed coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense with proficiency and wisdom well beyond his years, even overcoming a rib injury suffered early in the season to pilot Washington toward playoff contention, a postseason berth and an upset road win over the Detroit Lions as part of a run that ended just one win shy of a Super Bowl appearance.
Statistically, Daniels was excellent, finishing with a completion percentage of 69, 3,568 passing yards, a 25-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 100.1 passer rating. He wasn’t just talented with his arm, though. Daniels’ 891 rushing yards reset the rookie quarterback rushing record — fittingly breaking the mark set by former Washington standout Robert Griffin III — and he made six ground visits to the end zone in his debut campaign. The aforementioned completion percentage was a record for qualified NFL rookies, and he became the only rookie in NFL history to post 3,500-plus passing yards and 750-plus rushing yards in a season.
With Daniels’ dual-threat abilities taking center stage, the Commanders took flight in 2024, unlocking an offense and a franchise that had spent far too many years in football purgatory. The LSU product joined Dak Prescott and Ben Roethlisberger as the only rookie quarterbacks since at least 1935 to win 12 games, and Daniels became just the fifth rookie in NFL history to record 30-plus total touchdowns in his first season, joining the likes of Justin Herbert, Cam Newton, Russell Wilson and fellow 2024 rookie Nix in that rare air.
The Washington Post reports that Daniels also received another award on Thursday night:
Daniels also was awarded the NFL’s moment of the year award for his Hail Mary touchdown to wide receiver Noah Brown against the Chicago Bears in Week 8 that gave the Commanders an improbable 18-15 victory.
“They told me I was up for two awards, but I didn’t know I had to...
