The Washington Commanders selected their quarterback of the future with the second pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, taking Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels to usher in a new era of the franchise.
Washington won four games in 2023, losing its last eight games to land the second pick in the draft. While the team is still expected to be towards the bottom of the standings, oddsmakers are giving the Commanders a good chance to improve with its dynamic QB and new coaching staff.
With Kliff Kingsbury running the offense under new head coach Dan Quinn, the Commanders have a win total that signals a moderate improvement, but still not playoff caliber.
Here’s where FanDuel Sportsbook lines the Commanders heading into the 2024 season.
Commanders Win Total Projection for 2024 Season
6.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Jayden Daniels Expected to Lift Commanders Win Total in 2024
Daniels is an electrifying talent that has oddsmakers expecting Washington to take a step forward in 2024, but not all the way to the postseason.
The Commanders still play in a tough division that features two teams in playoff contention, the Eagles and Cowboys, but the team is expected to be better than the New York Giants given the win total projections.
Washington’s offense failed in 2024, but with the addition of Daniels, the unit is projected to improve quite a bit with the likes of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson as well as fellow rookie Luke McCaffrey. The team signed Austin Ekeler in the offseason as well.
The defense will hopefully get better as well under the supervision of Quinn, who built high quality defenses in Dallas most recently. The defensive minded head coach will leave the offense to Kingsbury with the explosive Daniels while he tries to get the other side of the ball back on track after a dismal season in 2023.
Washington will have to play the competitive AFC North that includes four playoff caliber teams in the Bengals, Ravens, Browns and Steelers, but also got paired with the NFC South, which is regarded as the worst division in terms of team quality, as a benefit of a fourth place schedule.
Time will tell if Daniels pans out, but the Commanders are projected to play much more competitive football in 2024.
