It’s more accurate to say it is Daniels’s job to lose, and that first-year coach Dan Quinn, who arrived preaching the virtues of competition, seems to be calling it a “competition” because he feels compelled to make every player compete for everything — no exceptions.
So, Daniels — barring injury or major regression — is expected to start the season opener. The next questions are: Will splitting reps slow his ability to build rapport with offensive teammates? And how long will he share time with Mariota before Quinn officially names the rookie the starter?
For now, splitting reps will slow offensive cohesion “for some people more than others,” right tackle Andrew Wylie said, but he noted the team has nearly seven weeks before its Week 1 opener at Tampa Bay.
The quarterback rotation isn’t a big deal, added star wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has caught passes from 11 quarterbacks in his five-year career.
“I’ve been able to adapt,” he said with a sort of verbal shrug. “I think it just forces everybody to communicate a little bit more.”
During their first practice, the Commanders focused on the red zone, and Daniels was clearly the team’s best quarterback. He showed confidence and crispness with tight-window throws and dropped a beautiful lob into the back right corner of the end zone for running back Brian Robinson Jr. Daniels rarely used his legs to escape trouble and did not throw an interception.
In the high red zone, McLaurin was impressed by Daniels’s ball placement on one short “hitch” route, which he said is usually difficult to complete when a defensive back has help behind him and can play tighter coverage without having to worry about getting beaten down the field.
In this case, Daniels threw the ball low and away, which may have looked awkward because it forced McLaurin to twist backward to make the catch, but the receiver thought it was perfect because only he could make a play on it.
Afterward, McLaurin said, he and Daniels talked about how the throw could have been delivered high to his outside shoulder as well.
“He just has a natural feel for [ball placement], and you can see it by the way he operates,” McLaurin said. “It’s not always going to be perfect, but just to have that mindset. … I’m expecting that now. So, when I come out my routes, I have a good idea where he is going to put it.”
The team started with red zone work, Quinn said, because condensed spacing allows players to ramp up slowly and forces them to make quicker decisions. That’s why, he said, the coaching staff won’t grade the tape solely on completions.
“What was the decision-making process that went along with it?” said Quinn, who spoke before practice. “It is the time that you have to push yourself to see if you can make some plays. … If you never push those boundaries to see what you are capable of, you’ll never know how far you can take it in a game. Because you certainly don’t want to be risk averse where you’re so tight that you don’t want to make a play. But there also has to be the balance.”
The lack of competition between Daniels and Mariota does not mean the team is without a quarterback battle. Veteran Jeff Driskel and undrafted rookie Sam Hartman seem to be fighting for the third spot, which in the dog days of summer might not seem important but is certainly something the new regime cares about.
Two seasons ago, General Manager Adam Peters was with San Francisco’s front office when injuries to the top two quarterbacks forced the 49ers to use running back Christian McCaffrey as a wildcat quarterback in the NFC championship game.
On Wednesday, Driskel was ahead of Hartman in reps. It’s unclear if the team will keep its third quarterback on the active roster or practice squad. But it’s clear what will happen at the top of the depth chart.
