There were 6 QBs sacked 45+ times in 2024. Jayden Daniels was the only one among them without even 500 pass attempts as he had almost 100 fewer pass attempts than the average of the rest of the group.
Washington looked to bolster his protection with the additions of offensive tackles, Laremy Tunsil via trade, and by using their first-round pick on Josh Conerly Jr. The offense ranked highly outside of protection issues. Washington was 3rd in rush yards per game, 5th in points per game, and 6th in red zone percentage.
QB: Jayden Daniels
Daniels had a stellar rookie season in which he passed for 3,500 yards with 25 TDs / 9 INTs along with 891 rush yards and 6 additional TDs. It’s similar to Robert Griffin III’s rookie season in Washington 12 years prior in which Griffin totaled 3,200 passing yards, 20 TDs / 5 INTs along with 815 rush yards and 7 additional TDs in 2 less games played.
The chief concern with Daniels entering the NFL wasn’t centered around his skill set, it was due to the hits he took in college as he didn’t protect himself. Washington shored up their offensive line in hopes of shielding Daniels from injury to prevent his career path remaining parallel to RG3 following their rookie seasons.
RB: Brian Robinson Jr.
Robinson has missed time in each of his 3 NFL seasons but has steadily remained between 730-799 rushing yards every year. His yards per carry and TDs have risen year-over-year since entering the league. He finished 2024 averaging a respectable 4.3 ypc with 8 TDs.
The addition of Austin Ekeler to the backfield led to Robinson having his receptions drop from 2023 (36) to 2024 (20) while totaling over 200 less receiving yards, down from 368 to 159. The lack of involvement also led to his receiving TDs dropping from 4 the previous season to 0 last year.
RB: Austin Ekeler
In Ekeler’s first year in Washington he suffered multiple serious concussions. The injuries led to him missing 5 games and recording his lowest totals since his rookie season in 2017 in several categories including carries (77), receptions (35) and receiving yards (366). It was his first season without a receiving TD in his career.
The limited carries did lead to him being more efficient as a back, recording the highest yards per carry mark (4.8) since 2018. In May, Ekeler reached the dreaded age for RBs of 30. Out of all of the active NFL RBs on rosters, only Derrick Henry has played in more games than Ekeler.
WR: Terry McLaurin
Before 2024, McLaurin had a career catch rate of 62% and 7 TDs as his career-high which was set as a rookie in 2019. He put up by far his career-best catch rate of 70% in his first year with Daniels. Over the last 6 games he hauled in 7 TDs to bring his total to 13 in 2024.
McLaurin hasn’t missed a start since 2020. The availability combined with him showing the best version of himself with Daniels as a rookie should lead to Washington inking him to a new contract worthy of his talent and the current market price for a #1 receiver.
WR: Deebo Samuel
Washington’s General Manager Adam Peters traded for Samuel after previously being in the front office in San Francisco that drafted Samuel and developed him. He knows very well how to utilize Samuel and what he can bring to the offense.
In 2021, Samuel had a breakout year in which he totaled 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and 6 TDs. He also had 59 carries for 365 yards and 8 TDs on the ground. He’ll provide an upgrade for the Commanders as the #2 receiver while also filling some of the concerns in the backfield due to depth, injuries and aging.
WR: Noah Brown
Brown had a slow start to his career and has repeatedly dealt with injuries, including as of late in which he’s missed 6+ games in each of the last 2 seasons. Despite the missed time and playing on 3 different teams in the last 3 years, Brown has averaged 37 / 525 / 2 in 12 games during that span.
WR: Jaylin Lane
The new staff in Washington wasted no time erasing past mistakes of the organization by trading their former 1st-round pick, Jahan Dotson to the Eagles. They used the 3rd-round pick received from Philadelphia in the trade to acquire Laremy Tunsil and a 4th-round selection that they used to select Lane.
Lane has freakish measurables at 5 ’10 and 191 pounds as he possesses almost 32” arms, 10” hands with 4.34 speed and a 40” vertical. Lane can uncover with a shake and utilizes his return ability well on tunnel screens. He maximizes runs after the catch with a balanced spin move and running through arm tackles above the waist.
TE: Zach Ertz
Ertz had a resurgence in 2024 in his first year in Washington, starting all 17 games and catching 7 TDs. It’s the most TDs he caught in a year since his career-high of 8 set in 2018. He finished with 66 receptions for 654 yards.
Prior to 2024 it felt as if Ertz’s best days were behind him as he missed 5 games in 2020, then 7 in 2022 and 10 in 2023. Ertz only got better as the season went on as he caught 6 TDs in the last 7 games with a catch rate of 78% during that span.
BREAKOUT PLAYER: Brian Robinson Jr.
Robinson Jr. has seen his ypc rise by 0.2 each year since entering the NFL. The trend will continue in 2025 as he finishes with 4.5 ypc and sets career-highs in carries, rush yards and TDs.
Washington will dial back Daniels’ carries in his 2nd year to limit injury risks as they’ve improved his supporting cast. Robinson will finish 2025 with 1,000+ yards rushing and double-digit TDs.
BUST: Austin Ekeler
Ekeler will remain on the decline as his age, health and the addition of Samuel to contribute in the backfield, will all limit his production. He’ll fail to reach 500 total yards for the first time in his NFL career and fall short of 4+ total TDs in a season for only the 2nd time in his career (2020).
SLEEPER: Jaylin Lane
Due to Samuel’s role of contributing in the backfield, combined with Ertz and Noah Brown’s injury history, Lane will have a bigger role than expected as a rookie. He’ll surpass the group of Luke McCaffrey, K.J. Osborn, Chris Moore and Michael Gallup to be the next line.
Lane will be a safety blanket for Daniels when he can’t get it to McLaurin or Samuel. He’ll finish the year with a statline of 45 / 400 / 3.
BOLD PREDICTION: Deebo Samuel
Washington doesn’t have a 300+ carry back and their backup Ekeler is 30 years old and breaking down. Production-wise, Samuel will finish 2nd among WRs and RBs in production for the Commanders. He’ll record 1,000+ receiving yards and set career-highs in carries and rushing yards. He’ll receive a total of 10+ TDs via the ground and air.
