The Washington Commanders are hoping they can get back on track this season.
After a miraculous 2024 campaign, the team came back down to earth last year, with a variety of factors informing their regression. Chief among them were the injuries to quarterback Jayden Daniels that bogged him down throughout the year.
But with conflicting reports about the offensive line coming out of practice, fans are still uneasy about what it could mean for the upcoming season.
Why Commanders Fans Are Panicking About Jayden Daniels
A legendary rookie season for Daniels saw him take a four-win Commanders team to the NFC Championship Game. However, in his second year, the biggest concern with him became a major problem.
Given his size and frame, injuries were always going to be something to watch out for. Throughout the 2025 season, he was constantly injured, eventually suiting up for just seven games and ranking at #27 in PFN’s Quarterback Impact Metrics.
Some of his injuries boiled down to a porous offensive line that ranked in the bottom half of the league in PFN’s Team Offensive Line Impact Metrics, which is what made the first report from The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala all the more worrisome this week.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen the Commanders’ offense in years. Inoperable offensive line,” she remarked. But the situation wasn’t as dire as she initially made it seem. As a result, Jhabvala later issued a clarification.
To keep in mind about the offense today: As mentioned earlier, Cosmi was out. Jayden Daniels played with a front five that featured a lot of Matt Gulbin at center, some of Julian Good-Jones at center, and mostly Good-Jones and Tanoa Togiai at right guard. https://t.co/CYPhaGaGoj
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 26, 2026
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator
“To keep in mind about the offense today: As mentioned earlier, Cosmi was out. Jayden Daniels played with a front five that featured a lot of Matt Gulbin at center, some of Julian Good-Jones at center, and mostly Good-Jones and Tanoa Togiai at right guard.
That appeased some of the fan base, with JP Acosta of CBS Sports among those who were worried about the state of the offense. Exhaling a sigh of relief, he wrote, “Definitely feeling less claustrophobic rn.”
Another fan who was similarly worried also accepted the revised report, stating, “Ahhhhhh yes there’s the context, appreciate it, start with that next time!” A few members of the fan base were understandably irritated, as one fan wrote, “This context would have been great on the initial tweet.”
START PREPARING: PFN’s Free Fantasy Draft Simulator
Another fan offered an even harsher assessment of the situation, claiming, “Backpedaling. Should’ve included the context in the original tweet. You got what you wanted. The rage and the clicks.”
Back peddling. Should’ve included the context in the original tweet. You got what you wanted. The rage and the clicks. https://t.co/qqEKGL9G6V
— Leel (@iAm__JMo) August 26, 2026
However, even with the anger and worry from the fans, Daniels was still trying to keep a positive mindset.
Given the gruelling practice, he offered a sliver of hope to the fan base. JP Finlay of NBC Sports covered his comments, summarizing them on X. “The good thing about it is it’s August… Our first game is September 13… I have to do my job better, control what I can control,” Daniels said.
After a rough practice for the Washington offensive line, Jayden Daniels keeps perspective: “The good thing about it is it’s August…Our first game is September 13th… I have to do my job better, control what I can control.”
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 26, 2026
It remains to be seen if the team is better prepared when Week 1 rolls around. But for the time being, the worries haven’t dissipated.
