Will Jayden Daniels learn to play differently once he returns?

One of the knocks on Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels ahead of the 2024 NFL draft was his style of play. While analysts praised Daniels' ability as a pure passer and an electric runner, his slender frame was a concern. So was his apparent refusal to learn how to slide to protect himself.

Daniels set the NFL world on fire in 2024. He led the Commanders to their best season in 33 years, winning 12 games and reaching the NFC Championship Game. He started every game for Washington as a rookie, and some of those concerns went away.

Things haven't gone as smoothly in 2025.

Daniels sprained his knee in a Week 2 loss at Green Bay. That injury forced him to miss two games. In Week 7, Daniels injured his hamstring, which cost him one game. Finally, in a Week 9 loss to Seattle, Daniels scrambled to his right and was tackled, dislocating his elbow. It looked gruesome. Fortunately, Daniels didn't also suffer a fracture, and it was also on his non-throwing arm. What once looked like a season-ending injury, Daniels may now be able to return in Week 14 against Minnesota.

There has been a debate about whether or not the Commanders should bring Daniels back this season. Daniels wants to return, and Washington wants him back, despite a 3-8 record and six straight losses.

There's no doubt that Daniels must be more mindful of taking unnecessary hits once he returns. That's something offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury discussed on Thursday.

"It's a learned behavior, there's no doubt," Kingsbury said of learning to play safely. "And in this league, to survive, there's certain hits you have to try to avoid, and you have to take some stuff off your body if you can, at that position. And so, I think that's just the more he plays, the more comfortable he'll get in being able to do that. But he's played a certain style his entire life. He's been relatively healthy his entire life and football career. And so, I think it's just a learned behavior. The more reps he gets, the more live game reps he gets, he'll figure that out and know kind of when the party's over and know where when to protect himself."

It's worth noting that neither of the first two injuries was serious. And they didn't happen when Daniels was scrambling. Those were more due to bad luck. The injury against Seattle came when Daniels tried to make something happen. The Commanders were struggling that night. Nothing was working, so Daniels was doing everything he could to score some points. Looking back, he probably should've thrown the ball away.

Daniels is a smart quarterback. He's shown an ability to slide since entering the NFL. He's also proved adept at throwing the ball away. You can bet that Daniels will be more cautious once he returns. And he'll also have something to prove.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Will Jayden Daniels play safer when returning?