The Washington Commanders enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in 2024. After winning just four games the previous season, a new coaching staff, coupled with a phenomenal rookie season from quarterback Jayden Daniels, led the team to within one game of a Super Bowl appearance.
Not wanting to rest on their laurels, the Commanders have made a splash in the offseason, with eye-catching trades for Deebo Samuel Sr. and Laremy Tunsil. During a recent interview, Daniels revealed his excitement about the moves.
Jayden Daniels Reacts to Commanders’ Offseason Business
After the success of their success in 2024, the Commanders’ moves for Samuel and Tunsil suggest the team is looking to take a step or two further next season. During a recent interview with Jon Gruden for Barstool Sports, Daniels was asked by the former Washington head coach for his thoughts on the move.
“When I look at the Commanders, I thought your defense really played hard under [Dan] Quinn. You guys play your a** off on defense, and I thought you’d go out and add some pieces in free agency. But you guys go out and get Deebo Samuel, man, you guys go out and get Laremy Tunsil, a Pro Bowl left tackle.
“How exciting is it to add those pieces to an already-exciting offense?”
Daniels answered in his usual calm manner, but couldn’t hide the excitement that one would expect from a second-year quarterback who had been gifted two such elite stars.
“It’s a blessing,” Daniels answered. “It’s super exciting because, obviously, we want to get better each and every year, and the front office does a great job of trying to figure out ‘How can we get better?’
Adding a dynamic player like Deebo and adding Laremy, two players that have really been proven in this league for some years. It’s awesome. I’m just excited, really, to get out there and get to work with them and start building that continuity.”
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Continuity is right. While exciting, impressive, and at some points breathtaking, the Commanders’ 2024 season is an outlier when compared to recent years. Last season was Washington’s first winning season since 2016, when Gruden’s brother, Jay, was in charge.
Not since the opening three years of the 1990s has Washington made the playoffs in consecutive seasons; putting that right will be the minimum expectation in 2025. The Commanders’ offseason activity certainly points to the team wanting to compete for it all in the short term, with Daniels’ rookie contract offering the perfect opportunity to be aggressive.
Time will tell if those additions work out, but it would be overthinking it, at this stage, to expect them not to.