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After the Washington Commanders’ surprising run to the NFC Championship game in 2024, it was easy to feel like the team had arrived.
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Quarterback Jayden Daniels had possibly the greatest rookie season of all time, and the team, under new ownership, finally looked like it had turned a corner after more than two decades of futility. And that feeling extended past just the season
While not quite as euphoric as the 2024 season, the 2025 offseason was as close to that feeling as possible, as hope sprang eternal at the prospect of Daniels going into his second season in the Kliff Kingsbury offense with better weapons surrounding him.
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But reality came crashing in on the team as star wide receiver Terry McLaurin missed time to start the season, then Daniels also started battling injuries before suffering a nearly catastrophic one halfway through the season.
It all resulted in a 5-12 campaign and a 2026 offseason where the vibes haven’t been nearly as joyful as they were a year ago.
One of the staples of that 2024 offseason was the praise the national football media rightfully showered on Daniels. That praise is gone, and in its place is a level of scrutiny that Daniels hasn’t faced yet during his short time in the league.
ESPN NFL survey doesn’t rank Jayden Daniels in the top tier
This week, ESPN published the results from its seventh annual survey of league executives, coaches and scouts who were asked to rank the top 10 players at 11 positions.
This year, ESPN received responses from more than 70 voters who submitted a ballot on at least one position, “and in many cases all positions. Additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed contributed to placements.”
The league sources were asked, “Who are the best players right now?” And on Monday, July 13, ESPN revealed the quarterback rankings.
The top of the list is familiar, with Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Matthew Stafford taking the top three spots. But Jayden Daniels isn’t on the top 10 list at all, though he did get enough votes to get an honorable mention.
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While the league personnel who voted for him still seem to believe in him, those types of voters weren’t frequent enough to land him in the top tier of quarterbacks.
“I know he was hurt [in 2025], but I think this is the year he really makes his stamp and he’s the guy we’re all talking about as having taken the next step,” one unnamed NFC exec said. “Such a good decision-maker and very accurate.”
While not making the top 10 hurts enough, the fact that a couple of quarterbacks from his draft class are ahead of him stings a little more.
Caleb Williams, Drake Maye surpass Jayden Daniels in rankings
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was taken one pick ahead of Jayden Daniels and Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was taken one spot after him in the 2024 NFL Draft. But both are ranked ahead of Daniels on ESPN’s list.
Drake Maye was ranked 8th, and Caleb Williams was ranked 10th.
“Maye’s Super Bowl run and near-MVP performance elevated him into the elite discussion, though still on the fringes. He appeared on more than 60% of the ballots and earned many fifth-place votes,” the survey said. Meanwhile, the 10th-place vote was close, with Williams just edging out Seattle’s Sam Darnold, Green Bay’s Jordan Love, and Daniels.
The vote was so close that the final vote went to tiebreakers, with Williams edging out the others.
A year ago, around this time, that wasn’t the case. Jayden Daniels was widely regarded as the top quarterback of the rookie class.
Some Commanders fans have taken umbrage with the ranking, but the NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, and lately, Williams and Maye have had more team and individual success than Daniels.
Meanwhile, as far as the league is concerned, the only difference between this offseason and last offseason is that, apparently, the league wants Jayden Daniels to prove it to them again. Time will tell whether he is up to the challenge.
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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 10:09 AM.