Steelers impressed by Commanders dynamic dual-threat rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a history of dominating rookie quarterbacks — with a 25-6 record under Mike Tomlin — yet spent the week talking about Jayden Daniels with a heaping of hyperbole in expectation that the Washington Commanders phenom will test that narrative.

There was no shortage of superlatives. Tomlin is impressed with Daniels’ mobility. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson complimented his calm demeanor in handling the spotlight with grace and confidence. Defensive captain Cameron Heyward described Daniels as “lightning in a bottle.”

The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall draft pick from LSU has been all of that and more for the Commanders in becoming a runaway favorite for NFL Rookie of the Year and early MVP candidate, especially after his heroic Hail Mary to clinch a comeback victory.

Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith watched Daniels scramble before completing a 52-yard tipped pass to Noah Brown as time expired to beat the Chicago Bears in Week 8.

“It was a crazy play, those types of plays a lot of legendary quarterbacks have on their resume,” Highsmith said. “He’s talented. Just watching him on film, he does a lot of great things, especially as a rookie. He’s a dangerous quarterback, and he’s getting better every week.”

Daniels hopes to join the company of one of Pittsburgh’s greats when he leads the Commanders (7-2) against the Steelers (6-2) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Northwest Stadium. Ben Roethlisberger (10) and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys (nine) are the only rookie quarterbacks in league history to win at least eight of their first 10 career starts.

The numbers are just as dazzling. Daniels has a higher completion percentage (71.5%) and more passing yards (1,945) than Patrick Mahomes, four times more touchdown passes (nine) than interceptions (two) and is averaging 5.6 yards per carry with four rushing touchdowns.

“There’s not a situation he doesn’t like,” Heyward said. “He can throw the ball, he can run the ball. He’s dynamic, and he will make you pay if you give him a lane.”

Steelers DT Cameron Heyward refers to Commanders QB Jayden Daniels as “Lightning in a bottle.”

“He will make you pay.” pic.twitter.com/2R07iuweJn

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) November 7, 2024

Despite his slight build, the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder also is a dangerous runner who is effective in short-yardage situations. The Commanders have a 45.9% conversion rate on third downs (50 of 109) and are perfect on 11 fourth-down attempts.

“It’s funny because I know he’s not a big-frame guy, but he has deceptive power because there’s guys that hit him but he falls forward,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “I was watching some of the goal-line stuff, and he has a couple runs down there that looks like he’s stopped then, all of a sudden, it’s a touchdown. That’s one of the things that maybe people underestimate, that he does have really good strength, really good run ability and he doesn’t fall backwards very much.”

The Steelers know better than to underestimate Daniels, as Tomlin noted that he’s been a “franchise quarterback” dating to his college days, first at Arizona State and then LSU. Playing in a no-huddle offense directed by Kliff Kingsbury — who coached Mahomes at Texas Tech and Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals — has suited Daniels, even if it was dismissed as “simple” by Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt.

Daniels made him eat those words on “Monday Night Football,” completing 21 of 23 attempts for 254 yards and two touchdowns for a 141.7 passer rating in a 38-33 win Sept. 23.

“I’m an LSU guy, so I watched him very thoroughly for the last two years and he’s a dynamic playmaker,” Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson said. “He’s played a lot of football. He’s been in a lot of big games. He’s been in a lot of big moments. He doesn’t shy away from that. I would think that’s the biggest thing that I see, that he stands up in the face of tough moments.”

Daniels did just that against the Bears and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. The Commanders had the ball at their own 48 and were trailing 15-12 with 2 seconds left when he made the decisive pass. Daniels took a seven-step drop, then rolled right. He stopped and reversed field, keeping his eyes downfield as he scrambled before launching a ball that sailed 63 yards before being tipped by Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson into the hands of Brown.

“When you watch him, he’s calm in the pocket, doesn’t panic,” Austin said. “He creates space. He moves around. He looks for targets. … He has really good command of what they do. He plays with a good confidence level. When you watch him, in terms of when he’s looking at coverages and where to distribute the ball, he seems to be looking in the right places.

“I think that, so far, he’s done a wonderful job for them. We’re going to have our challenges with that guy because he can run it, he can throw it, he can create, he can make off-schedule plays. He can do all of the stuff that you want a quarterback to be able to do.”

And some stuff few other quarterbacks can do. Per NextGen Stats, Daniels has four touchdown passes with a completion probability of 30% or less — plus a fifth of 30.4%. Daniels also has three completions of passes that have traveled 50 or more yards in the air, the most such since ESPN started tracking air yards in 2006.

“His mobility is a major factor, whether it’s by design or by ad lib, play extension, escape,” Tomlin said. “It is something to be reckoned with. It’s one of the core components of why they are a dangerous group.”

Couple that with Washington’s ball security — the Commanders have only three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) — and that explains why Tomlin says the Steelers are “preparing with an edge.”

Daniels also is dealing with a rib injury suffered against Carolina on Oct. 20, so the Steelers intend to be disruptive early with their pass rush to put him out of position and make mistakes. For all of their success against rookie quarterbacks, they aren’t taking Daniels lightly after being beaten by both C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans and Dorian Thompson-Robinson of the Cleveland Browns last season.

“You’ve got to make him think,” Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “You’ve got to put pressure on him and make him feel uncomfortable. They’ve done a really good job of allowing him to get comfortable back there and be comfortable in the pocket, so we’ve got to put pressure on him and make him feel uncomfortable.”

Daniels has only been sacked 17 times, just once more than Steelers backup Justin Fields was in his six starts. Five of those sacks came in the Commanders’ two losses, at Tampa Bay in the opener and at Baltimore in Week 6, and five others in Washington’s first game against the New York Giants, a 21-18 win.

The Steelers want to put a lid on the lightning in a bottle.

“We know what we’re up against going against him, so we’ve got to do what we can to slow him down and get after him,” Highsmith said. “That’s what you have to do against a guy who can run and pass. You’ve got to get pressure and get him flustered, so that’s our objective from the jump.”