Dan Quinn explains why Jayden Daniels has ‘extra hunger’ entering Commanders season

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Scott Bair

Sat, May 2, 2026 at 4:00 PM UTC ·

2 min read

Jayden Daniels didn’t have much during his second NFL season. Injuries marred his follow-up to a rookie of the year campaign where the Commanders reached the NFC title game.

The quarterback missed 10 total games due to a knee sprain, a hamstring strain and an elbow dislocation that was subsequently aggravated. The former No. 2 overall draft pick played in seven games and finished only four, leaving Washington too often without its best talent.

That the Commanders went 5-12 was no shock considering the circumstances, but it didn’t make the season any easier.

Daniels holds himself to a high standard. Availability is wrapped up in that.

Head coach Dan Quinn has found Daniels as motivated as ever this spring, hellbent on returning the Commanders to previous form.

“It was the most frustrating year of his young career playing football, with the injuries and missing time and having to go through that,” Quinn said during a Thursday appearance on the Rich Eisen Show . “Any time anyone goes through that, there is a little extra hunger that comes back. That’s human nature whether a guy is coming back from an injury or poor performance, there’s usually an edge. That’s all competitors. I definitely feel that with him. He’s an elite competitor, but to add a little fuel to the fire, there’s nothing wrong with that. I can relate to that. For a a guy who is an elite competitor, there’s nothing wrong with turning up the heat a little bit.”

Daniels’ motivation can be good for the 2026 Commanders , especially if it can help extract better play. Quinn will try to stoke the fire, but not by using outside narratives or critiques.

“It’s more about the time at practice, the location of the ball, the accuracy and those types of things,” Quinn said. “When you’re trying to be excellent, can you push the standards that you’re wanting to go compete with. It’s an internal one, not any narrative from the outside. We know what he’s capable of, and I’m qualified to make that push.”