When Jayden Daniels was going through the draft process last spring, he never had a Hall of Fame general manager question if he should switch to wide receiver. Daniels didn’t have to wait hours in the green room to hear his name called by the commissioner; he knew the Washington Commanders wanted to fashion their franchise in his image. And he never had to sit and develop behind a veteran quarterback until being entrusted with the offense.
Column by Candace Buckner
His Wonderlic score never set off alarms — for the traditionalists searching for a so-called “weakness” or for any defenders hearing coded language about intellect. His “dark skin color” has never been analyzed, strangely and unnecessarily, as a secret strength to his style of play.
Since the beginning of his pro career, Daniels has been received for who he is — not just a quarterback but a playmaker. A threat in the pocket and a surgeon against zone defenses. Yet also a runner, a freestyle artist morphing into an even more dangerous weapon whenever his legs take over.
Daniels is the fully realized version of the NFL’s newfound acceptance and appreciation of mobile quarterbacks. And for that, on Sunday afternoon when he shakes hands with Lamar Jackson, who has helped disrupt the NFL’s conventional way of thinking, Daniels’s first words should be, “Thank you.”
The two-time MVP juked and feinted — past defenders and critics — so this rookie could fly. And Jackson balled out with his hair in braids so that when a scrambling Daniels loses his helmet and reveals his juicy two-strand twists, he can still be considered “quarterbacky.” The unboxing of the Black quarterback can be seen in Daniels and his celebrated start in Washington, thanks in part to Jackson’s success.
The link between these Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks will be on display Sunday in Baltimore when the suddenly relevant Commanders (4-1) meet the perennially contending Ravens (3-2). The moment carries significance for regional bragging rights but also for those who have blazed the trail that at times showed encouraging forward movement against a stubborn resistance to change.
