Jayden Daniels excited to get Deebo Samuel the ball and let him do the work

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels carried a heavy load in his rookie season and the formula worked well enough to get the team to the NFC Championship Game.

The Commanders would like to move a little further up the ladder in Daniels’s second season and part of the quarterback’s approach to make that happen is to do less. His plan centers on new teammate Deebo Samuel’s ability to make plays after catching short passes.

“Offseason was good, but now you just see what he’s proven year in and year out,” Daniels said, via Arye Pulli of The Sports Place. “I’m excited to throw him a screen and hopefully on the stat sheet it says a touchdown for 80 yards and I didn’t have to do any of the work. I’m excited, he’s a great person. Great fit in the locker room right away. Hopefully we’re gonna see a lot of touchdowns.”

Samuel’s production has been down from his 2021 peak over the last three seasons and he’s been less effective after the catch, but the Commanders are banking on a change of scenery sparking the veteran wideout to a higher level in 2025.