Jayden Daniels only needed three snaps to give Washington Commanders fans another reason to worry about the offense.
Making his preseason debut in Saturday’s 17-13 loss to the Detroit Lions, Daniels played just one planned opening drive. The possession ended in a quick three-and-out, but the problems in front of him were impossible to miss.
Jayden Daniels’ Supporting Cast Raises Concern
Daniels’ brief appearance was always expected to last only one drive. However, the way that drive unfolded raised questions about Washington’s offensive line.
Commanders reporter Nicki Jhabvala pointed out that the short outing revealed several issues the team still needs to address.
“Coach Dan Quinn said it was always the plan to give Daniels one drive, no matter how long it lasted. But that series, a three-and-out, exposed plenty of what the Commanders are missing,” Jhabvala said.
On Daniels’ first snap, linebacker Devin White generated pressure by pushing center Julian Good-Jones backward, forcing an incompletion.
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Things got worse on the next play when edge rusher D.J. Wonnum beat tight end John Bates inside and brought Daniels down for a 10-yard loss.
On third-and-20, Kaytron Allen picked up 11 yards on a handoff, but Washington still came up well short and punted.
Good-Jones has been filling in at center with Nick Allegretti dealing with a calf injury for much of training camp. His struggles against Detroit highlighted Washington’s lack of proven interior depth.
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Daniels played just seven games last season after suffering multiple injuries and failed to build on a sensational rookie season. According to PFN’s QB Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 72.3 in 2025, ranking 27th at his position. For comparison, in 2024, he was seventh with an impact score of 82.6.
Jhabvala also raised another concern about the team’s options up front.
“It has also raised the question of whether Washington has enough reinforcements inside. Rookie Matt Gulbin impressed in the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, but did not play at all with Daniels on Saturday,” Jhabvala added.
Daniels Calls Protection a Work in Progress
The preseason sample was extremely small, but the timing makes the situation worth watching.
Washington is asking Daniels to operate more frequently from under center this season, making consistent protection and communication across the offensive line especially important.
Daniels acknowledged after the game that the unit still has work to do before the regular season. “I think it’s still a work in progress,” Daniels said postgame. “Like I said, it’s only preseason. We still have practices and everything. By the time we get to Game 1, we’ll have it set in stone.”
“For me, it’s really just trusting those guys up front, trusting the play calling, trusting my reads, getting the ball out, doing what I have to do and playing on time.”
Washington still has time to fix the issues, and one preseason drive certainly does not define an offensive line.
But if the Commanders cannot improve their interior protection and depth before Week 1, Daniels could spend far too much of the 2026 season dealing with pressure in his own backfield.
