Jayden Daniels isn't the Commanders' starting quarterback yet, but that time is coming very soon

The Washington Commanders wrap up mandatory minicamp on Thursday and then it's a six-week break until the team begins training camp at the end of July. 

Jayden Daniels earned some reps with the 1s during minicamp after Marcus Mariota was the lead guy during OTAs. Mariota also got in his fair share of work with the starters, according to reports. That's because the Commanders want this to be an open quarterback competition. They want both guys giving it their all, because that should lead to the best outcome for the 2024 season, ultimately. 

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn confirmed the competition will remain open once training camp starts, as well. 

"In true competition, that's why we set it up as we did - to have Marcus have some and Jayden to have some [reps]," Quinn told reporters on Thursday. "So, [there's] no great declarations other than being true to who we are. As competitors, there's no doubt that Jayden is making unbelievable progress, here, and we'll have a really fun camp.

"He's earned that opportunity to go compete. We wouldn't have given him those spaces and those times, those reps, if he hadn't, but it was really clear that he's put in the work, and he was ready to do that. So it was by intention, for sure, that he was able to do that."

All throughout the past few weeks, the main narratives surrounding Daniels were his work ethic and his command of the offense. That's exactly what you want to hear during this time of the year, when it's more about the mental game than anything else.

According to Quinn, he's now getting the execution of things down, which is obviously the next step in the process of becoming a starting quarterback/winning a starting job in the NFL. That's been on full display throughout camp.

"I think it's the execution," Quinn said when asked about where Daniels is ahead in terms of his development. "And the reason I say that is, there's not usually, like, 'I need that call again. I need it again.' Or, asking, you know, in the headset to go [again]. In the huddle, the clear communication, I listen to every call that he makes, and the IDing of the protection. So I say he's further along than you probably should be, but that's an attribute to him as well, to say, like he was not going to leave, you know, a stone unturned in terms of the execution of it.

"And that's what we talked about over his next 40 days, [working through] the smallest of details again, again and again."

And sure enough, Daniels is going to do just that during the "break".

"I mean, I've been in football mode, man," Daniels said Wednesday. "OTAs, rookie minicamp, [and] now, mandatory minicamp. All I know is I'm gonna go back to Southern California, go train with my quarterback coach down in Huntington Beach and get ready for the season and get ready for training camp. Put myself in the best position out there to come out here and just compete with the guys and have fun."

Sure, Daniels may not be the starter when training camp opens up down the road, but it's clear he's on the path toward accomplishing that goal and it's only a matter of time before he does.