Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is setting the bar high for rookie passers. His performances have the Commanders knocking on the Super Bowl’s door. But his success isn’t just about grit and talent on the field—it’s rooted in groundbreaking technology between games, too.
Fans Impressed With Jayden Daniels’ Tech-Infused Training Method
Daniels has embraced Virtual Reality (VR) training, a cutting-edge tool that has redefined how quarterbacks prepare for games. The Commanders rookie quarterback, who threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns in Washington’s stunning 45-31 Divisional Round upset over the Detroit Lions, attributes his ability to “read defenses 80% faster” to his VR setup.
Operating at 1.75x normal speed, the simulations challenge Daniels with scenarios faster than real gameplay. “Once you get out there, everything slows down,” Daniels shared. “I’ve seen this before, and it moved more than 20 times faster in VR.”
This next-level preparation helped the Commanders defy all odds, securing their first NFC Championship appearance since 1991. Fans can’t get enough of their franchise quarterback. One fan wrote, “Just goated things.” Another fan posted a meme referencing the famous Matrix movie.
Jayden Daniels every morning after VR sessions pic.twitter.com/R89nN7P1Ia
— Big Squeeze (@RealAndrewVo) October 26, 2024
One X user posted, “It kinda reminds me of playing thousands of online poker hands to prepare for live poker.”
“It’s amazing to see innovative training methods making such a significant impact,” another commented.
“Somebody get this to Caleb Williams. 🐻 ⬇️” tweeted one more, taking a dig at the Chicago Bears quarterback who had a tough rookie year.
“That’s genius,” said another.
Developed by Cognilize, a German company specializing in sports technology, the VR tool first reached Daniels during his LSU days, where he won the Heisman Trophy after a 50-touchdown season. Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has fully integrated VR into Daniels’ routine. He called it “as real as you can get to game reps,” stressing the tool ensures repetition without physical strain.
“It’s a unique technology, and it’s definitely for the quarterbacks. I think it is more effective than them just watching the film. They’re going through their reads, they’re going through their progressions, they’re seeing it,” Kingsbury said.
Daniels became the first rookie quarterback since Joe Flacco in 2008 to beat a No. 1 seed and the only rookie ever with 275 passing and 50 rushing yards in a playoff win. It’s clear the VR advantage is paying dividends. He finished the regular season with a PFN QB+ score of 85.3 (B), the ninth-best in the NFL and emblematic of his remarkable growth.
PFN’s QB+ metric assigns a letter grade to every quarterback performance and factors in a number of stats such as success rate when pressured, third-down conversion rate, pocket production, and clutch performance.
As Washington marches closer to the Super Bowl, Daniels’ revolutionary training is helping forge the path forward.
