Commanders vs. Eagles: 5 things to watch, including Jayden Daniels against the pass rush

The last time Jayden Daniels played in Philadelphia, it was the NFC championship game in January 2025.

Last season, Daniels sat out the team’s Week 18 game at Lincoln Financial Field; the Commanders shut him down after he aggravated his left elbow injury.

Now, at the start of the 2026 season, it is fair to wonder whether Washington’s franchise quarterback has spent any time reflecting on the 21-month interlude.

“What do you think?” Daniels asked with a laugh.

Safe to say that’s a “no.” Daniels has tried his best to forget the last year of his life. It’s been a rough one for the Commanders.

Daniels spent most of last season on the sideline with three different injuries. Washington then fired offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and revamped its roster to shed an aging core.

As Washington opens the regular season against the Eagles this Sunday, it will be an entirely new look for the Commanders. And for Daniels, it’s time to put the ghosts of 2025 in the past.

Here is what to watch during this Week 1 matchup.

1. Protecting against the pass rush

Speaking of Daniels, the Commanders’ biggest fear has nothing to do with how he will look after a long hiatus. Washington is confident its signal-caller has command of a new scheme.

Instead, they’re worried about protecting him.

Washington had an offensive line shake-up midway through camp. Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil went out with a torn triceps, and Brandon Coleman is back protecting the blind side. Center Nick Allegretti missed most of camp with a calf injury, sending Washington’s front into a spiral.

So maybe now isn’t the best time to face one of the better defensive lines in the league. Philadelphia has Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis up front, two “premier players,” according to Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough. Davis signed a three-year, $78 million extension to get after the quarterback this offseason, and Carter is next in line for one of the biggest paydays in the league.

Washington struggled to block the Ravens’ defensive front in a joint practice in August. This is an even harder task.

“That’s the straw that stirs the drink for sure,” Quinn said. “Their size, their strength, that’s it. That’s hard to simulate. But the times of us going against one another and getting yourself ready, that’s a big piece of it. But that’s definitely the challenge.”

2. $100 million man ... limited?

As for the Commanders’ defensive line, that also figures to be an issue. Washington gave Odafe Oweh a four-year, $100 million deal this offseason. The Commanders needed more pass rushers, and Oweh was their answer.

But Oweh has been limited for most of training camp. He hasn’t been a full participant since mid-August. If he can’t go, how will Washington disrupt Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts?

Quinn thinks he has the answer. Washington can lean on the linebackers to help in the pass rush. That is partly why they signed Leo Chenal from Kansas City.

“The fact that we cross-train some guys into different spots certainly helps,” Quinn said. “And at the linebacker spot, we’re deeper than we have been. So to see the development of Kain [Medrano] and Leo, he’s got edge ability, blitz ability. So that definitely helps.”

3. Limiting Saquon

The best player on the field Sunday will be Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. He enjoys facing the Commanders.

Barkley has never had less than 100 yards against Washington’s defense. That included the aforementioned NFC championship game less than two years ago, when he had three touchdowns and 118 yards.

Is there any reason to believe things will go differently this time around?

“Well, number one, this is an excellent player,” Quinn said. “When you’re going back through, he’s been good against us lots of games. So how do you play good team defense? You better tackle well and limit the explosive plays. That’s the ones you want to take away, those big chunk plays, off the tape. And if you can do that, that’ll give you your best chance. But it has to be every single down.”

4. Avoiding the big hit

Washington has worried about Daniels’ health all offseason. The fanbase has seen too many quarterbacks derailed by injury.

After last season’s debacle, Washington brought in a new offensive scheme to help insulate Daniels from hits. But Daniels has to know when to give up on a play.

Will Daniels throw the ball away against the Eagles? Will he have fewer rushing attempts?

Daniels had one of the highest scramble rates in the NFL over the last two years. That doesn’t account for the number of hits he took in the pocket. If he can get both of those numbers down, it will be a positive sign for his durability this year.

“At the end of the day, it does come down to teaching,” Blough said. “Is it smart to slide here? Is it smart to get out of bounds? How do we protect our head? How do we protect our shoulder?”

5. A revived connection

Even before Daniels’ injuries last year, he did not get much work in with his favorite target. Terry McLaurin missed most of training camp in 2025, holding out for a new contract.

They were barely on the field together during the regular season.

“It was less than 15% of the snaps they were on the field together in 2025,” Quinn said. “That sounded crazy to me.”

That hasn’t been the case this year. McLaurin has been available for OTAs, minicamp and all of training camp. Daniels took over 500 snaps in camp — more reps than he’s ever had. Washington is hoping the McLaurin-Daniels connection, which was so integral to the team’s 2024 run, shows up in Philadelphia.

“The amount of work that those two guys have had [has been good],” Quinn said. “Jayden is able to express himself in the offense. I can’t wait to see that.”