Jayden Daniels has already shown why the NFC East can tilt on his shoulders.
Entering his third NFL season in 2026, the Washington Commanders quarterback has the kind of impact that changes how a division looks. As a rookie in 2024, he helped lead Washington to 12 wins and an NFC Championship Game appearance, then took home NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. That kind of debut doesn’t get forgotten, especially when the player followed it up with a frustrating 2025 season.
In 2025, injuries wiped out 10 games across three separate setbacks, and Daniels appeared in only four games from start to finish. He never had a real chance to build momentum, and the Commanders also had to deal without star wide receiver Terry McLaurin when he was on the field.
That’s part of what makes Daniels such a central figure in the division conversation. When he was healthy as a rookie, he could carry Washington in stretches and did exactly that in the playoffs. The Commanders still needed more help around him, but Daniels was the one who kept them dangerous.
Manti Te'o made that case clearly on a recent episode of "Good Morning Football," when he was asked to identify the most important player in the NFC East.
"Jayden Daniels is the most important person in the NFC East," Te'o said.
Te'o pointed to the uncertainty around Washington as a whole and explained why Daniels stands above the rest.
"Why? Because when you look at the Commanders, I don't know what you're getting out of the Commanders.
You look at their running back room, you got Bill Croskey-Merritt. Young.
You got Rachaad White, who was RB2 over there in Tampa for a long time. You have a very thin quarterback room, and you have a very young defense.
Now, I know Dan Quinn is the head coach; I know what I am getting there. But then you also have a new offensive coordinator that has the same amount of coaching experience in the NFL that Jayden Daniels has playing experience in the NFL.
But this is what history will tell you: you don't sleep on the Washington Commanders when Jayden Daniels is at the helm. We were sleeping on them in 2024, at least I was, and all of a sudden they are playing in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
If Jayden Daniels is healthy, which all reports out of minicamp and OTAs that he looked like his old self, if not better, do not sleep on the Washington Commanders. Because if this guy is on his Ps and Qs, he is the most important player in the NFC East because he does move the needle that much."
There are other names in the division who matter plenty, including Saquon Barkley and Dak Prescott. But Daniels is the one who can lift the entire operation when he’s right. He did it in 2024 with Terry McLaurin and a supporting cast full of role players, and he still made Washington look like a team nobody wanted to see.
That’s why the answer is Daniels. In the NFC East, he’s the player who changes everything.
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