Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has come under scrutiny with increasing regularity as the 2026 NFL regular season rapidly approaches. There have been questions about his durability, questions about his accuracy, questions about whether he can function in David Blough's offensive scheme, and questions about his ability to stay in the pocket.
Daniels has taken a fantastic approach to this scrutiny, saying that he knows he has to prove it on the field. On a recent episode of First Thing's First, former NFL head coach Eric Mangini weighed in on whether this is a make-or-break year for the third-year quarterback.
Make-or-break year for Jayden Daniels? Coach Mangini weighs in: “Is this a make-or-break year for Caleb…Drake Maye…Bo Nix…The
Prince?… The progress is gonna have to be viewed within the context of everything else that’s happening around him.” pic.twitter.com/JlFGUTLCAB
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) September 7, 2026
"I think it's a great quote," Mangini says. "And I think he's approaching it the right way. Is this a make-or-break year for Caleb (Williams)? Is it a make-or-break year for Drake (Maye)? Is it a make-or-break year for Bo Nix? Is it a make-or-break year for The Prince?"
The panel goes on to talk about the three third-year quarterbacks each having a down year, and that somehow Daniels' down season is weighted differently if he has another down year this year.
"He was hurt, we're not talking about a full body of work," Mangini said in defense of Daniels. "He just lost his left tackle, he's on one of the oldest teams." Mangini goes on to talk about the Commanders' poor defensive play in 2025 and wonders if Daniels is going to have to deal with that again. Will he be chasing points and carrying the team, or is he going to have support?
"I think there's things that go into the evaluation," said the former coach. "We should see some progress, but the progress is going to have to be viewed within the context of everything else that's happening around him."
Daniels is going to answer a lot of questions when the Commanders face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, but he won't answer all of them. It's going to take weeks of seeing this team in action to determine what their season is actually going to look like. If he stays healthy and the team is winning games, there's no question that Daniels gets offered an extension this year.
If you watch the segment, it seems that Mangini is the only one considering that Daniels' down season is mostly due to injury and not what he did on the field. Both Williams and Maye only became successful after coaching changes. Daniels has a new offensive coordinator this year, and that could make all of the difference in his development.
One thing is for sure, though. The Commanders are using every bit of these discussions as fuel. They enter the season with a chip on their shoulder, and they're ready to prove everyone wrong. Now they just have to do it.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Ex-NFL coach believes Jayden Daniels is unfairly held to a different standard
