The growing parallels between Jayden Daniels and Kyler Murray are getting tougher to ignore. Especially when Washington Commanders QB1 Daniels is facing the same problem Murray had to deal with at a critical early stage of his NFL career.
Murray cleared the hurdle, and Daniels is expected to do the same, only with more room to spare, starting at the team’s OTAs, beginning on Wednesday, May 27. The Commanders had better hope so, because they won’t want Daniels’ career trajectory to mirror Murray’s any more closely than it already does.
Both are former Heisman Trophy winners who possess dual-threat skills at football’s most important position. They each took the pros by storm playing in Kliff Kingsbury’s college-style offense, both being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Daniels in 2024, Murray five years earlier. Daniels and Murray have also each been beset by injuries, amid concerns about their size.
Daniels will only rise above the Murray comparisons if he can meet the necessary challenge of making the same adjustment in playing style the former Arizona Cardinals starter made at a crucial moment.
Jayden Daniels Tipped to Surpass Kyler Murray
The change involves Daniels moving from shotgun and pistol formations to playing under center more often. This switch has been a theme of this offseason ever since David Blough was promoted to replace Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and promised to change Daniels’ operating system.
It’s the same shift Murray had to make, according to Locked On Commanders podcast host David Harrison. He pointed out how Murray “came into the NFL in a shotgun-heavy system. No surprise there. He played for Kliff Kingsbury, right? And then his third year in the NFL, similar to Jayden Daniels, he had to transition to an under-center concept.”
Harrison noted the arrival of Drew Petzing as play-caller as the start of Murray’s transition. It’s a similar story for Daniels working with Blough, but Washington’s QB1 can take some notes from Murray on how playing under center more often will change his game.
As Harrison explained, “Kyler Murray talked about lining up center and how it completely alters how linebackers actually diagnose plays because (the) quarterback’s body blocks the view of the mesh point during bootlegs and play action. Specifically, defenders can lose sight of the ball for that critical split second, which of course is also what makes the play-action more effective from under center. So to maximize this, quarterbacks have to have the same identical body language. They have to say the same movement to the mesh point, whether it’s play action or it’s a run. The communication’s got to look the same, right?”
Dealing with more verbiage at the line of scrimmage and altering his movement after the snap represent obvious challenges for Daniels to master in Blough’s offense. The task is a daunting one, but fortunately, Murray’s success overcoming the same problems bodes well for what the Commanders can expect from Daniels.
Commanders Can Expect Statistical Jump from QB1
Moving from shotgun to under center represents a sea change from what Daniels has been used to at both the collegiate and pro levels. It was the same for Murray, but he actually adapted well to operating from closer to defenses.
Harrison outlined how “in the only case here where quarterback did it from the NFL, was in shotgun-heavy in the NFL rather, and then went to under center in the NFL, Kyler Murray, when he did it, his completion percentage went up eight percent. His yards per attempt went up 3.7 yards per attempt. It’s only one case study, but it’s a quarterback that I mean, as far as I’m concerned, Jaden Daniels already more potential and more talent than I ever gave Kyler Murray credit for. I’ve been called a Kyler Murray hater, and hey, it is what it is, but if Kyler Murray’s numbers can go up, Jayden Daniels’ numbers certainly could go up with them.”
Those numbers are promising, but there’s a note of caution here about Murray’s progress. While he initially became a better quarterback playing from under center, further injuries and a benching led to Murray being released by the Cards this offseason, before being picked up by the Minnesota Vikings.
The Commanders need to see similar, but more sustained progress from Daniels after his injury-truncated 2025 campaign. Washington’s coaches would also welcome seeing a passer who produces more consistent ball placement, makes smart decisions about when to throw or run and breaks some worrying habits.
Teaching Daniels those things is why Blough got the chance to replace Kingsbury. He’ll now be under just as much focus as Daniels while this Murray-esque shift begins to take shape during Commanders’ OTAs.
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