We’re but a few days from the start of NFL training camps, which means we’re deeeeeep into bold predictions SZSN. Hogs Haven will certainly make some this summer, possibly closer to the regular season and after we’ve gleaned some much-needed info from camp.
SB Nation’s own Jarrett Bailey, who runs BehindTheSteelCurtain.com, didn’t wait for his, trotting out 61 bold predictions for the NFL season.
He clearly has a high opinion of the Washington Commanders. Not, like, win-NFC-East-high, but there’s a strong
sense that better’s on the way.
That comes from three of his 61(!!) bold predictions about the upcoming 2026 season. They involved quarterback Jayden Daniels, linebacker Sonny Styles and the team overall. All of them are positive, and well within the realm of possibility.
Daniels wins comeback player of the year. Styles wins defensive rookie of the year. The Commanders qualify for the playoffs with the NFC’s seventh seed.
You can read all 61 of Bailey’s predictions right here — you won’t like who wins the Super Bowl — but we’ll highlight the Commanders related goodness below.
“32. Jayden Daniels wins Comeback Player of the Year
“Daniels reminds everyone that he is one of the best young quarterbacks in football, throwing 26 touchdowns and adding seven on the ground to just nine interceptions as he leads Washington back to the playoffs.”
“34. Sonny Styles wins Defensive Rookie of the Year
“Styles is the key to Dan Quinn’s defense getting back on track. The Ohio State product will be a top five tackler in the NFL, as well as pick off four passes to help Washington’s defense improve from finishing 28th in success rate.”
“50. Commanders earn No. 7 seed in NFC
“Off the strength of a rejuvenated and healthy Jayden Daniels, as well as a defense that is much improved with several new starters, Washington bounces back after a five-win 2025 campaign and gets back into the postseason in their first year back in their perfect classic uniforms.”
And a Week 1 bonus from Bailey:
“6. Jayden Daniels lights up the Eagles in Week 1
“The Commanders begin their season on the road in Philadelphia in the late-afternoon window on Fox, and man doesn’t that just feel right? Few things make me feel as nostalgic as the NFC East getting America’s Game of the Week. I feel like it’s 2007 again, and I’m sitting with my dad in the living room with a lovely view of the tree in our yard as the bright colored leaves fall off one-by-one with the smell of cinnamon in the air while Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb squared off.
“Memories of yesteryear aside, Jayden Daniels enters this season with a point to prove after an injury-riddled 2025 campaign, and he makes a statement in Week 1. The LSU product throws for 284 yards, three passing touchdowns, and adds 64 yards with a rushing score on the ground as Washington defeats Philadelphia 34-27.”
Which bold prediction would you consider most realistic? Any other superlatives coming Washington’s way? Let us know in the comments below:
