BEREA, Ohio — What exactly has been so impressive about Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels through his first four career games?
It’s a long list.
“The completion percentage is impressive, the ability to make plays within the scheme, outside of the scheme, making throws down the field,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said this week. “Tough kid, smart. I mean, just very impressive.”
The Cleveland Browns will be tasked with trying to slow down the No. 2 overall pick, who is leading the league in completion percentage right now through four games at 82.1%, when the Browns take on the Commanders on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Northwest Stadium.
His completion percentage through four games is not only leading the NFL, but historic.
It’s the best completion percentage by any quarterback through his team’s first four games of a season. The previous record holder? Tom Brady, with the 2007 Patriots (79.2%).
And Daniels is already drawing plenty of other high-level comparisons.
“He kind of reminds me of (Texans quarterback) C.J. Stroud last year as a rookie,” Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II said. “Being able to have a high completion percentage, not making many mistakes. You don’t see that from a lot of rookies coming in, so you got to treat him not like a rookie.
“He’s proven himself in these first few games that he is one of those elite guys, so I think he’s been doing an amazing job and we definitely have to be able to stop some of those quick, high percentage throws from him.”
Daniels has thrown for 897 yards so far, but only has three touchdowns (he’s run in for four more). He’s thrown just one interception and only 19 incompletions (87-of-106), while leading Washington on 23 scoring drives. His pass catchers haven’t dropped a ball yet this year.
He’s ran for an additional 218 yards on 46 attempts.
For the Browns, so far Daniels has shown a similar skillset to an opponent they are very familiar with.
“Twice a year we play (Ravens quarterback) Lamar Jackson, who has some very similar capabilities, so we know what it takes to stop that thing,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “We know how bad you can look if you let your guard down for one minute with guys like that and it won’t be any surprise for us when No. 5 is out there.”
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has often shadowed Jackson in those Ravens matchups.
“I’m in my Lamar mindset right now,” he said. “I would say that there’s little bits of similarities. Jayden, he’s a little bit bigger, a little bit taller (6-foot-4 compared to 6-foot-2). But no, you do see a little bit of similarities.
“Obviously Lamar’s a Pro Bowl, All-Pro type of quarterback, but (Daniels) will get there eventually. I think just looking at him, watching him, watching Washington progress as a football team, I’m sure that he’ll get there one day.”
The most common praise the Browns heaped upon Daniels this week was nothing stats-wise: It was just the fact that he doesn’t look or play like a rookie.
The LSU product and Heisman Trophy winner is able to quickly go through his reads and get the ball out quickly when he needs to.
“That’s a guy that doesn’t get rattled,” Newsome said. “He’s been in a lot of tight games and has been getting wins, so you can’t expect him to make a mistake. You have to play him true. He’s great at reading coverages and a lot of things. You kind of got to treat him as such and that’s one of the more elite quarterbacks in the league.”
So is there going to be a way to rattle him?
There’s an obvious answer on how to try, given the way this Browns defense is built.
“Pressure,” said reigning NFL defensive player of the year Myles Garrett. “Lots of pressure. It doesn’t have to be blitzes or five-man, six-man pressure. Four-man has to get pressure on him down the middle and make him uncomfortable to step into those throws and those easy alleys while you’re pulling.
“Get those hands up, get those easy PBUs, but don’t stop rushing. Can’t allow us to start hopping up and allow him to escape the pocket, but on the way to getting to him start to tip some of those passes that he’s trying to throw quick and continue to wrestle him when he’s willing to hold the ball.”
Of the teams the Commanders have seen so far — the Buccaneers, the Giants, the Bengals and the Cardinals — the Browns, led by Garrett, certainly have the most formidable defensive front.
And whether they can find a way to slow down the efficiency of the rookie phenom? That could very well decide the result of this Week 5 matchup.
