Washington o-line ‘inoperable’ in joint practice

It was a rough first outing for Daniels and the Commanders. Washington managed just 65 passing yards through the first three quarters, while Daniels completed 9-of-23 passes. In the fourth quarter, however, Daniels was far more effective, completing 9-of-11 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns, with his first coming on a 10-yard pass to Stefon Diggs. On the following drive, Daniels would connect with rookie Antonio Williams twice, with the second resulting in a one-yard touchdown pass that Williams scraped off the turf but was ruled a touchdown after review. Needing a two-point conversion to tie the game, the Commanders ran a shovel pass to tight end John Bates that came up well short of the end zone, giving Philly the win after they recovered an onside kick attempt. Daniels was far from sharp in this one, but the Eagles deserve plenty of credit for keeping him in the pocket, forcing him off his spot, and making him uncomfortable. Of the five rush attempts Daniels managed on Sunday, only two came on designed runs. Five rush attempts feel like the floor for Daniels in any given week, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Commanders were more intentional about limiting designed run calls after last year’s injury-plagued season. Daniels will be a high-end QB1 next week when the Commanders take on the Cowboys in Dallas.

In addition to Daniels, the Commanders are also expected to play Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs, giving us the first look at the team’s revamped passing game under new offensive coordinator David Blough, with most of its starters on the field. We wouldn’t expect Daniels and company to play more than a series or two, but this will be Daniels’ first game since Week 14 of last season.

Breer adds that third-year Commanders WR Luke McCaffrey has “taken another step.” Perhaps this receiving corps is slightly better than one may have thought a few months ago. Both players are behind WR Terry McLaurin and WR Stefon Diggs, who has “immediately stepped into a leadership role” on his new team, but receiving depth is a plus for QB Jayden Daniels.

One of the bigger storylines out of Commanders camp this offseason has been the switch to a scheme that is expected to put Daniels under center far more often than he did in his first two seasons with Kliff Kingsbury. Daniels has played 94 percent of his snaps from shotgun since 2024, per TruMedia, which is similar to how he also played in college. According to Jhabvala, Daniels has adjusted well to playing more from under center, saying, “the footwork that so often seems to trip up young quarterbacks doesn’t seem to be an issue at all for (Daniels),” while adding that his timing with his pass-catchers has been “really sharp.” Daniels struggled in his second season as a pro. While a multitude of injuries certainly played a role, he struggled at times with his accuracy last season and was more prone to take off and run than he was as a rookie. With several new additions on offense, Daniels could be in line for a big fantasy season and profiles as a high-end QB1.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter later added that the deal is worth “up to” $12 million over one year. Diggs has been tied to the Commanders by local and national reporters for weeks. After seeing their lack of receiving weapons in training camp for a few days, GM Adam Peters finally pulled the trigger. Diggs will immediately slot in as the team’s No. 2 receiver, ahead of Antonio Williams and a cast of uninteresting veterans. The Pats limited Diggs to a 68 percent route rate last year, but he still managed to hit 1,000 yards via impressive efficiency marks. With Terry McLaurin operating as the Commanders’ No. 1 receiver, Diggs is unlikely to hit four digits again, but he should still offer fantasy managers usable FLEX numbers on a weekly basis.

This comes after Keim spoke with Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough, who may also reportedly double the 23.8 percent of two-tight end sets the Commanders ran last season under Kliff Kingsbury. Keim noted last month that Washington’s offense was running “a lot more” plays from under center during practices that were open to the media this offseason, signaling massive changes to the scheme for Jayden Daniels entering his third season. Additionally, Daniels could see more bootlegs, which could create better opportunities for him both as a passer and as a runner if things break down and he needs to take off and run. Daniels’ sophomore season was marred by injuries and subpar play last season, as he regressed in nearly every metric in the seven games he appeared in, throwing for 1,262-8-3 while completing 60.6 percent of his passes and averaging just 39.7 rushing yards per game. Despite last year’s struggles, there’s hope that the new offense under Blough, coupled with the addition of free agent signings in Chig Okonkwo and Rachaad White, will help Daniels get back to his 2024 form when he won Offensive Rookie of the Year. There’s still a lot to learn about this offense, but Daniels’ rushing upside should keep him safely locked into the upper echelon of fantasy quarterbacks this season.

This was Keim’s observation during a practice that was opened to the media, but newly minted offensive coordinator David Blough has already gone on record saying the team plans to play more from under center and run more play action in 2026. This will make for a major adjustment for Jayden Daniels, who has played 94 percent of his offensive snaps from the shotgun since 2024, per TruMedia. Blough also said the team plans to run no-huddle about 20 percent of the time, which would be a steep drop off from the 61 percent no-huddle rate the team saw under Kliff Kingsbury. This will be an offense to monitor as training camp reports start popping up this summer and we get a better sense of how the Commanders plan to deploy their backfield and utilize their weapons in the passing game. The decision to move under center could also have an impact on Daniels’ rushing volume, which would have a significant impact on his fantasy value, where he currently profiles as a strong top-12 option.

“Love is an explosive play waiting to happen and would unlock multiple layers of the playbook that Washington couldn’t access last season,” Reid said, projecting the Commanders to take the former Notre Dame running back with the seventh pick of the 2026 draft. Washington in 2025 ranked 11th in rush EPA, just below the 49ers, and tenth in rushing success rate, in line with the run-heavy Packers. Love in 2025 had 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns and had 39 runs of 10 or more yards, trailing only three collegiate backs. Washington was one of the run heaviest teams in the NFL last season, ranking 28th in early down neutral pass rate.

Jayden Daniels, coming off an injury-plagued 2025 season in which he threw eight touchdowns and three interceptions over seven games, will lead Washington into London for one of the NFL’s many international games in 2026. The Commanders will look to get back to their 2024 offensive form after scoring points on just 37 percent of their offensive possessions in 2025, the tenth lowest rate in the league. Daniels last season had a drop back EPA on par with Tyler Shough and Kirk Cousins.

Likely, an unrestricted free agent, could see interest from multiple teams this spring, including the Commanders, who are likely to move on from veteran TE Zach Ertz after his catastrophic knee injury in 2025. “Likely would bring more upside with his catch-and-run ability. A move player in the formation, Likely would also be schemed to create underneath one-on-ones,” Bowen said. In his four seasons with the Ravens, Likely popped off a few times in a run-heavy offense, usually when Mark Andrews was sidelined. Likely since the start of the 2024 season ranks fourth among all tight ends in ESPN’s open score, which measures a player’s ability to separate from defenders. He would be an intriguing fantasy option as an every-down player in Washington.