It took Jayden Daniels one drive to give Washington Commanders fans hope

When the Washington Commanders last selected a quarterback with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft, it led to what was notable ESPN Analyst and former Washington Post writer Tony Kornheiser called it “the land of unbridled optimism.” When Robert Griffin III got off to a great start as a rookie, it shot the franchise’s fans to a new level of hope.

A new era of unbridled optimism could be dawning, and it took just one drive in his first preseason game for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels — the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — to make that hope come true.

Daniels and the Commanders began their pre-season preparation on Saturday at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets, and that first strike couldn’t have gone better for the visitors.

Washington mounted an 11-play, 70-yard drive for a touchdown on its first offense, capped by a short touchdown run by Daniels that opened the scoring.

Daniels missed his first throw of the game, but his second throw did not miss:

The rookie quarterback threw a perfectly placed deep shot to Dyami Brown, evading tight-man coverage for 42 yards, allowing the Commanders to once again execute a series of downs in New York territory.

With the drive appearing to stall near the goal line, Washington’s new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury gave Daniels an option design on third down, and Daniels held it himself for the 3-yard touchdown:

Daniels reads this play perfectly, deciding to keep the ball instead of giving it to running back Austin Ekeler. But he gets a perfect block from tight end John Bates, which helps seal the edge and gives Daniels a clear path to the endzone.

Daniels handed Washington’s second possession to backup quarterback Marcus Mariota and he finished the day completing 2 of 3 passes for 45 yards, plus a short touchdown run.

The new era of unbridled optimism may not be reflected in the box score. But it is certainly attributable to Washington’s rookie QB.