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  • 14 hours ago
The Washington Commanders' 2026 season will be heavily influenced by the health of Jayden Daniels. Kevin Sheehan gives his thoughts on how many games the Commanders will win this upcoming season if Jayden Daniels is completely healthy.
Transcript
00:00If Jaden Daniels plays 17 games, start to finish fully healthy,
00:05how many wins for Washington in 2026?
00:11There is nothing anywhere near as important as that
00:14as far as this team's upcoming season.
00:18Nothing individually, you know, coordinators,
00:22you know, O-line, wide receiver situation, pass rush.
00:26You know, you even take two or three of those things
00:28and put them together, and they probably don't exceed
00:32the importance of Jaden Daniels being on the field healthy,
00:37playing start to finish 17 games.
00:40Last year, he only played in four games out of 17 start to finish healthy.
00:48You could actually make the case that it was only three games
00:51start to finish healthy because he got hurt in that Green Bay game
00:55and stayed in the game.
00:57And that was one of the four games he played start to finish.
01:03We do have our Waldorf Honda Twitter poll up.
01:08The poll of the day is driven by Waldorf Honda.
01:11It all starts with a click, waldorfhonda.com.
01:14And the question is, if Jaden plays all 17 games, how many wins?
01:19And the potential answers are 7 or less, 8 to 9, 10 to 11, or 12 plus.
01:293-0-1-2-3-0-0-9-80.
01:31Let's start with our guy, Kevin, in Arlington.
01:34Kevin, what's up?
01:37Hey, Kev.
01:38Thanks for taking my call.
01:39Sure.
01:40Oh, wait a minute.
01:41We didn't give our answers.
01:43I'm going to wait to give my answer.
01:45And so will Max.
01:46So you give your answer first, Kev.
01:49Okay.
01:49I'm bullish with a healthy Daniels.
01:52And let's just say if we don't have another injury plague.
01:56And to me, the injury plague, well, I'll never be able to prove this,
02:00but I would think it's rooted in the age of the roster a year ago,
02:05the lack of hunger, which the coaches cited.
02:08And let's face it, they had a club med preseason.
02:12They're not doing that this time around.
02:14And I like the team.
02:16I like the changes that have been made to the roster and to the coordinators,
02:21both of them.
02:22So, yeah, I see it being a team that battles for nine or ten wins because it's,
02:28you know, it looks like a monster schedule today.
02:30I'm thinking it's still going to look like a monster schedule in November.
02:33We'll see.
02:34But I think it's a team that's going to battle for a playoff spot.
02:38I'm not saying they're going to get in, but I don't see a losing record.
02:42I see a floor of nine wins, although I don't see 11.
02:48I'm thinking it's a nine to ten win type team.
02:51That's where I see it.
02:52Yeah.
02:53I mean, again, this is based on the assumption that the quarterback plays all 17 healthy
02:59start to finish because obviously the number changes drastically if he doesn't.
03:05Thanks, Kevin.
03:06Appreciate it.
03:07But, yeah, did you – did Kevin have something else?
03:10I'm sorry, Kev.
03:11Ian, go ahead.
03:14I'm going to go with nine and eight.
03:16I think –
03:18Whoa.
03:18Whoa.
03:19You think that's –
03:20I don't know.
03:21The way you – your tone in the offseason, not that it – you know, it's always this.
03:27It's always a bit off-putting and negative.
03:31But I was expecting you to be, you know, yeah, no, the coordinators, the coach, the general
03:36manager, the ownership, they all suck.
03:38This is a six-win team.
03:40So, you're going nine, all right?
03:43Tell me why.
03:44So, my official prediction is eight and nine, but if Jaden's healthy the whole way, I'll go
03:50nine and eight, even if Jaden Daniels plays, let's not say at an MVP level like you did
03:57his rookie year, but a Pro Bowl caliber level, I think the unknowns at offensive, defensive
04:04coordinator, the unknowns of the defensive players, and not, like you said, any top 100
04:09caliber players, coupled with the wide receiving core, and I think you bring up a very astute
04:15point that it's not Terry McLaurin from 2024, it's Terry McLaurin in 2026 with nothing else
04:22really around him.
04:23You've got three of the same receivers in Jalen Lane, Luke McCaffrey, and Antonio Williams,
04:28an unknown at tight end, a subpar running back room.
04:33Like, I just don't see enough pieces around him, enough coaching to get past nine.
04:41So, that's where I'd say.
04:42Real quickly, while I have you on, sorry everybody, I'm just going to ask him one question.
04:48You did predict the win over Bosnia, Herzegovina, last night.
04:52You said that they actually will have a shot at Belgium, if Belgium wins, they did.
04:57But, what was your soccer expertise opinion on the red card?
05:06Yeah, so, based on the way VAR is, where they use a lot of still images and slow image motion,
05:13I think it was properly adjudicated as a red card.
05:16However, I don't like the way replay is structured all across the world with freeze frames and
05:23still shots.
05:24I think it should be live motion.
05:27To me, I take the Zabe approach of replays should be there to overturn egregious misses.
05:34This wasn't an egregious mess.
05:36If it was normal in the field play, it was a tie-up, I wouldn't have even given it a
05:42yellow card.
05:42But, once you go to that slow motion VAR, it was obvious it was going to be a red.
05:46Because those images are too difficult to overturn.
05:49But, that's my analysis.
05:52Alright, thank you.
05:53Happy 4th to you.
05:55You too.
05:56So, if Jaden plays fully healthy, start to finish all 17 games, how many wins?
06:03So, I'm going to go, I agree with Kevin in Arlington.
06:06My number would be 10.
06:08Now, I mean, I could certainly see 9.
06:13I think if Jaden Daniels is your quarterback, 17 games, start to healthy, finish.
06:22Finishing healthy, start to finish.
06:24I don't see how Washington would ever be a bad football team.
06:32Like, that would be completely impossible for me to imagine.
06:37You know, an 8-9, 9-8 season, if your defense is horrendous.
06:42You know, I've pointed to the Cincinnati season from two years ago, 2024, when Joe Burrow had an MVP kind
06:49of a season with Chase and Higgins and, you know, that team.
06:53And they almost made the postseason, but they finished 9-8 because their defense was just so bad.
07:01And that's a scenario which can happen, which is you can have a great quarterback, which leads to a really
07:08good offense, but the defense is terrible.
07:10And then you're in a really tough division or you've got a really tough schedule and, you know, the quarterback
07:17can't, with his great play, you know, get you that extra win or two more.
07:22Whatever it takes.
07:23Because Joe Burrow in 2024 and that Cincinnati offense was ridiculous, but their defense could not get off the field
07:30at all.
07:31And they were in a tough division.
07:35So, I think if he plays 17 games start to healthy, I think this team is intriguing enough, especially with
07:42what they've done on the defensive side of the ball, that I could definitely see 10 wins.
07:46And I, again, would have a hard time predicting any less than 9 if he's your quarterback for 17 games
07:54healthy start to finish.
07:56Max, what would be your number?
07:58I'm going to be a homer here, Kevin.
08:00I think he could be 12 plus.
08:03Yeah, Brian just, I don't know if anybody heard that over the mic.
08:05Brian just clutched his chest.
08:07He did as a Cowboys fan.
08:09Yeah.
08:10But there are a defib machine in the studio.
08:13We'll have to get one.
08:14I'll get Roger on it.
08:15But I, Jaden, after last year, I just, I, I think he's really hungry to prove himself, to show that
08:23year one wasn't a fluke, that he's going to, he keeps distracting me.
08:28But I really, I, I, well, if he's not breathing, let's get him some help.
08:33Let's not, let's not let you finish, you know, uh, espousing your views.
08:38If, if, if you've shocked him into a bad health, let's take care of that.
08:43You, we got it though.
08:4412 plus wins.
08:45And you think Jaden's on a revenge tour in 2026?
08:50Yeah.
08:52I, God, man, I can't wait to see what he looks like.
08:56Uh, again, you know, could it be a slow go because of the new offense and the adjustments and the
09:02supporting cast?
09:04Maybe.
09:05This is where I hope early in the season, it's so obvious that the defense is just better, better players,
09:12better coached, you know, and sometimes defense can be a little bit ahead of offense early in the season.
09:18We got to see that against Philly, Dallas, and Seattle.
09:23Mark and Largo, if Jaden plays, start to finish 17 games, fully healthy, how many wins?
09:31I think you, you gotta, you gotta factor that in.
09:33It's not just Jaden, man.
09:35You, I think the most important people on that offense is you got to make sure the army's playing.
09:40You got to make sure it's Terry's playing.
09:41You got to make sure it's Jaden's playing because you're, you're, that's the most, you, you've missed the whole premise
09:48of what we're doing here.
09:49I'm assuming that even you understand the most important person, not only on, not only on the offense, but on
09:58the entire football team is Jaden Daniels.
10:01He's the best player.
10:03He's at the most important position.
10:04If he plays fully healthy, start to finish, no other assumptions made, how many wins?
10:15For me, I would say 11 or 12.
10:17Okay.
10:18The reality, okay, but, but, but, but Kevin, this is what you got to start understanding.
10:24I mean, you got to have a better receiving core than you had last year because I think that's what
10:31really got him hurt last year.
10:33Well, you just, you just went 11 or 12.
10:35That's your reality.
10:36I gave you the only assumption to go off of and you go 11 or 12.
10:43I'm happy.
10:45Yeah.
10:46Go ahead.
10:46Explain everything to me.
10:48Let me explain something to you.
10:50Okay.
10:50I understand that.
10:51We just need to, look, I hope Antonio Williams falls out.
10:57I think the key is De'Ami Brown.
10:59The hell with, with Brandon.
11:01I, you, I mean, Stephon Diggs, maybe.
11:03But the key, I think, is De'Ami Brown and Van Jefferson.
11:06And I hope Antonio Williams falls out because if he goes ball out as a receiver, as a slot receiver,
11:12and you have Terry and De'Ami and Traylon and Van Jefferson, I'm happy with that.
11:18None of this Luke McCaffrey crap.
11:20Okay.
11:20Let's just, let's pray him to San Francisco, whatever.
11:24But, look.
11:25Okay.
11:25We have to, this is a put up or shut up year for a lot of people.
11:29Well, I think for Jaden, but I think more importantly for your boy, Adam Peters.
11:33And you can't just, you can't, you can't go with that.
11:38But yeah, 11 or 12.
11:3911 or 12.
11:41Mark and Largo weighing in with a very optimistic max style prediction if Jaden plays all 17 games.
11:50That's the question.
11:51If Jaden, if I tell you right now, he's going to play all 17, he's going to be healthy, he's
11:56going to play in all 17 start to finish.
11:59Last year, he legitimately only played, I mean, literally only played three games start to finish healthy.
12:06He only played in four, you know, total start to finish, healthy or unhealthy.
12:12That's it.
12:13I'm giving you 17 of number five.
12:16How many wins, Kevin, in Virginia?
12:18Go ahead.
12:208-10 because Jaden can't play on first place.
12:23They don't play 18.
12:258-2-10 or 8-10?
12:29I'm sorry.
12:308-9.
12:328-9.
12:328-9.
12:33Got it.
12:34Because we did nothing, we did nothing to improve our secondary.
12:38I mean, we can't cover anybody.
12:40We need a number one quarterback and he didn't do that.
12:44We have the same group with a couple of scrubs coming in and Jaden can't cover people.
12:50He can't score that many points on his own to cover that gap.
12:54I don't understand.
12:55Maybe I don't understand the game well enough, but I don't understand why I didn't do more in the secondary.
13:01Well, they added Robertson.
13:03They added Nick Cross.
13:05They get Trey Amos back.
13:08You know, I don't know what it's going to look like with the scheme.
13:12You know, pass rush is going to be a priority.
13:14They've got to stop the run for the first time in a couple of years.
13:19There's a lot that will go into how the secondary will play.
13:23I'm not saying that it's not a legitimate concern because obviously it was a weak point last year.
13:28But they lost Trey Amos, who ended up probably being their best corner and they just didn't have a good
13:34enough pass rush.
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