ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders rookie minicamp is now in the books. For three straight days, all eyes were on rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. The No. 2 overall draft pick took snaps for the first time in the burgundy and gold.
Hopes are high for a team that has struggled for decades to find their next franchise quarterback. Head coach Dan Quinn explained what they hoped Daniels, and the other players at camp, learned.
"For Jayden, for all the guys, we're going to establish some standards of how we want to practice, how we want to go through things. How a certain player can learn and perform. For him and all the teammates going through here, it's like, 'Let's get this process started,'" Quinn said.
The new Commanders skipper said what he saw on the field from Daniels during camp was not a surprise. But there were some things his game film didn't show.
"What you don't see on the tape is how much this guy loves football. He works so hard. It's one of the things that makes my heart smile about him is the type of competitor he is, and the way he goes about his business," Quinn said.
Beyond Daniels, the energy at camp was obviously different given all the changes around the franchise, including new ownership, new GM Adam Peters, a new head coach in Quinn and new faces on staff, including Kliff Kingsbury.
Daniels said getting onto the field for camp was surreal, but understands work has just begun.
"Just that 9-year-old kid in me realizing that his dreams came true, and now I'm here, but I still have a long way to go," he said.
The new era has begun for the Commanders. Now we wait for the official schedule to be released on Wednesday.
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