Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Jayden Daniels Shut Down and Offseason Projection

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December 17, 2025

by David Earl

Washington Shutdown Jayden Daniels

After officially being eliminated from the playoffs before the game against New York Giants and with 3 games remaining, the decision came to put Jayden Daniels on the shelf for the remainder of the 2025 season. This was a season that many did not anticipate following a historic run to the NFC Championship last season. The season started with a lack of continuity on offense as a result of injuries to Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown for the majority of the early part of the season and losing their one true receiving threat out of the backfield in Austin Ekeler in week 1. This would continue to be a theme for the season with Daniels himself and derailing a promising season for wide receiver Luke McCaffery. Even the rise of 7th-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt early in the season flatlined after a week 5 performance in which he gained 111 yards rushing on 14 carries and 2 touchdowns. There was a drastic change for him in the following week, not only in the statistical category averaging 3.6 yards per carry against one of the worst rushing defenses in the Chicago Bears, but his 2 fumbles seemed to have changed his approach mentally running the ball. He was not the main issue for this season’s terrible outcome, but a collective of multitude of issues.

While the years per attempt were identical from the previous season at 4.8 yards, the lack of explosive plays via Daniels’ legs and lack of a threat of receiving by the running backs saw far more inconsistencies this season. Kliff Kingbury may have made questionable decisions in the run game like not leaning on Chris Rodriguez as the hot hand at times, his play percentage in running the ball was also nearly identical at 48% this season compared to 47% last season. The complete 180 effect was clearly in the passing game, which is partially on Jayden Daniels not performing nearly at the same level as he did in his rookie season. The team ranked 23, completing 61.4% of their passes this season, compared to a 6th-ranked passing attack last year in which they completed 68.9% of their passes. Last season they were in the top 10 (ranked 7th) with an overall 101.8 passer rating only to drop 14.3 overall rating number to an 87.5 passer rating this season. Ranking 12th last season averaging 224.2 passing yards per game to 191.3 per game this season, the passing game quickly turned into this team’s weakness.

Yes, I believe it was wise to have shut down Daniels after suffering multiple injuries, two due to non-called hip drop tackles. The player’s safety is first and foremost in the league’s mind . . . . He was fortunate to have only suffered a sprained knee and a dislocated elbow without any structural or ligament damage requiring surgery. While part of Washington’s struggles in the passing game was lack of chemistry and continuity this season,  Daniels was not nearly his rookie self this season. While still very good at protecting the ball from turnovers, this season he has dropped his interception rate from 1.9% last season to 1.6% this season, the rest of his numbers took a drop.

Last season, the offensive rookie of the year completed 69% of his passes, finishing with a quarterback rating of 100.1. Daniels had a 47.1% success rate on achieving the required yards for a first down through the air with 4 game-winning drives averaging 209.9 yards passing per game and a 5.2% touchdown rate. All these numbers dipped in production this season with the biggest drops coming in a 60.6% of his passes completed and a quarterback rating of 88.1. Jayden Daniels’ overall total QBR dropped 21.8 points from 67.7 last year to 45.9 this season. Aside from contributing factors, which I am not trying to undersell, Daniels could use the remaining part of this season to begin a self-evaluation with Kliff Kingsbury. Enter the 2026 offseason fully healthy and ready to reset this unforgettable 2025 season.

Quick Projection: The 2026 Offseason

Washington could do Daniels a huge favor by addressing the offensive skill positions, as I laid out here next offseason through the draft. As for the projected 2026 free agents, there are a few names I’d target if they do not resign with their respective teams. Running back Breece Hall from the New York Jets tops my list. Yes, his production took a dip in last two seasons, in which he averaged 4.2 yards per carry, but we must consider the situation there with terrible quarterback play and an even worse offensive line play. At 24 years old and 3 consecutive healthy seasons after his torn ACL in his rookie campaign, his upside could provide a long-term solution for Washington. Hall is a dual threat running back which Jayden Daniels sorely missed. Chris Rodriguez could complement Hall and be very productive. They can either continue to groom Croskey-Merritt or find competition for him in the later rounds of the draft. Signing Breece Hall and resigning Rodriguez could allow Washington to fill other major needs through the draft besides running back.

The wide receiver position might be best filled through the draft as I do not see Dallas allowing George Pickens to become a free agent and all other options are backend of the receiver group as depth or are aging veterans. If I had to choose a player here, then Jauan Jennings would be a good option.  He’s a player Washington hoped Noah Brown would have been if healthy. Jennings is a big bodied wide receiver, at 6’3″ and 212 lbs, who has begun to come into his own over the last 2 seasons. The San Francisco 49ers could look to re-sign him most likely, especially given the Brandon Aiyuk situation, but Jennings would complement Terry McLaurin well as they groom a rookie from next year’s draft. The only snag here is will Washington want to spend a projected $17.4 million average annual salary of Jennings.

Also, absolutely not on Brandon Aiyuk – the way he managed to essentially get the 49ers to cut ties with him shows a potential locker room problem if things do not go right. Regardless of his being friends with Daniels, Washington cannot afford any potential headaches on a team that needs to begin developing young talent. As for the tight end side my two top targets are guys coming into their prime years in Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts and Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely. With the recent extension of Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely is probably the most available of the two players. Kyle Pitts has been inconsistent since his rookie season but has put together a rebound year this season so will the Falcons see him as a contract year breakout performer or are his previous 3 seasons closer to his norm. The tight end group will be deep, and Washington would be wise to sign one of the top names available.

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