Opinion: Jayden Daniels and Doug Williams share a special QB connection – as they should

Doug Williams was in the process of watching video of Jayden Daniels – who else? – earlier this week when he took a break to share some quarterback-on-quarterback insight. 

The legend on the phenom. This promises to be good stuff. 

“He’s always poised. He’s always thinking,” Williams told USA TODAY Sports. “When you watch him, you know his mind is moving. He’s never under pressure, mentally. Even if he misses a guy, he finds a way to get some positive yards with his legs. But he doesn’t just use his legs to run. When you see him come out of the pocket, I can promise you he’s looking downfield. He’s just composed, man. 

“It’s hard to imagine this with a young guy with four starts under his belt...It’s almost like he’s been here before.” 

With Daniels heading into Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns as one of the NFL’s most remarkable storylines from the first month of the season – he's ignited the Washington Commanders (3-1) to three consecutive victories in spectacular fashion, posted the highest completion rate (82.1%) during any four-game stretch for an NFL quarterback since at least 1950 (minimum 100 passes) and put himself in the pole position for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors – Williams sounds as upbeat about this development as the most rabid D.C. football fan. 

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Yes, "PTI" Tony, the bandwagon, driven by Daniels, is filling up again. Lord knows, this battered franchise – which dropped its racist team name in 2020 – needed Daniels to come along to lead the makeover for a new era. 

Yet for Williams, 69, who made history in 1988 as the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, it is deeper than that. That’s why he sounds like a proud uncle, too. 

“It means a lot to me because of where we come from,” said Williams, the Super Bowl XXII MVP. “You hate to say it’s because he’s a young, African-American man, but to see him doing what he’s doing because of yesteryear, to be in the same building, watching him every day, to me, that’s a plus, man. It does my heart great just to be here.” 

Williams need not explain anything about his cultural pride for Daniels. Sure, roughly half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL are African-American. But during Williams’ heyday, there were barely any. When Warren Moon came into the NFL in 1984 with the Houston Oilers, he was the league’s only Black quarterback. Williams, at that time, toiled in the USFL. And when Williams landed on the big Super Bowl stage, his race was cast as the biggest storyline.  

And let’s not forget that way before Williams, Washington was the last NFL franchise to break the so-called color line and have a Black player. 

Think Daniels has tapped Williams as a walking resource to learn about such history? Not quite. 

“He hasn’t,” Williams said, “but you know what I believe? He hasn’t said it with his words, but he’s shown it with his actions.”  

During pregame warmups at Arizona on Sunday, Daniels threw the football around as he wore a T-shirt emblazed with Williams’ image. It was another example of how the 23-year-old pays homage to the in-house legend. Before his preseason debut in August, Daniels strolled into MetLife Stadium rocking a No. 17 Williams throwback jersey. 

“He has shown so much respect to me,” Williams said. “It warms my heart. There’s no way I can’t give it back to him.” 

During the final minute of the 42-14 blowout at Arizona (in which Daniels passed for 233 yards and a touchdown, plus rushed for 47 yards and a score), Williams embraced the young quarterback on the sideline and whispered an encouraging message in his ear. 

It was a classic image that was made for TV, history books and for, well, going viral on the Internet. My USA TODAY colleague, Mike Freeman, tweeted it out, with this suggestion: “Put this in the Louvre.” 

The symbolism is striking, but for Williams and Daniels, it’s personal. After all, Daniels’ mother, Regina Jackson, was one of the dozens of people who texted Williams the image of the viral moment with her son. 

“You know what it is? I’ve known Jayden for a while,” Williams said of the sideline snapshot. “It’s just a carryover of respect, from a standpoint of what he’s given me and what I’ve given him. It’s good to be in the same building with a young guy like Jayden, who don’t have no diva in him. You know what I mean? 

“For me, I’m just a guy that he can lean on and talk to – not about football, because he’s got a bunch of coaches. I don’t talk to him about that. I just tell him to keep doing what he’s doing.” 

Williams and Daniels met in 2018. Daniels was at Arizona State (where he played for three seasons before transferring to LSU and winning the Heisman Trophy) and attended a panel discussion about the history of Black quarterbacks. Williams was joined on that panel by James “Shack” Harris and Marlin Briscoe, who in 1968 became the first Black starting quarterback in modern pro football. 

“Who’d ever thought back then that I’d be in the same building with this young man every single day?” Williams said. “I wouldn’t have.” 

Interestingly, Washington’s new regime, headed by coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters, brought Williams back into the fold in the football operations this year after he was pushed aside by the previous regime headed by Ron Rivera. Williams kept a job but was relegated to non-football projects while working under team president Jason Wright. Years ago, when Bruce Allen served as GM, Williams had a significant role in the personnel department. 

He’s elated to be back on the football side, officially as the senior advisor to the general manager. He said from the moment Quinn became the new coach, the vibe changed. 

“It wasn’t somebody threatened by whoever’s in the building, compared to the last regime,” Williams said, undoubtedly taking a shot at Rivera. “That’s how Dan, the ownership (headed by Josh Harris) and Adam looked at it: Why not have Doug around here?” 

In his new role, Williams breaks down video to analyze personnel, meeting regularly with Peters and assistant GM Martin Mayhew to share his insights. He’s not involved deeply with the coaching but raves about the versatility that offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has employed in calling the game plans to support Daniels. Quinn, he added, has done much to keep the hoopla in check. 

“He lets everybody know: We ain’t made it yet,” Williams said. 

Williams knows. Football seasons – and careers – have their twists and turns. He’s encouraged that the rookie has his head on straight and has exhibited a tremendous work ethic. He’s also won over teammates and, well, balled out. 

“He’s been incredible,” Williams said. “You’re reluctant to crown him, but you can’t help but notice what has transpired over the last four weeks. I think he realizes it, too. That’s the good part about it.” 

Given where Washington’s franchise has been and what Daniels could represent, the expectations for this new chapter are obviously enormous. It figures that Williams can help the rookie deal with it. 

“It’s early,” he said. “You don’t want to put no pressure on the kid. You want him to play football. You don’t even want to bring it to his attention. You don’t even want to talk about it. We’ve still got a long way to go. 

“The fans are excited, and they’ve got a reason to be excited. But if you work in the football office here, that’s what you try to protect against.” 

Which is clearly a good problem for the Commanders to have about now.