Jayden Daniels was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with the Washington Commanders last season. His second year didn’t meet the same standard, largely due to injuries that limited him to just 10 games. Recently, his former coach Ryan Porter addressed the downturn and laid out a roadmap for Daniels’ offseason. However, Daniels’ mother took issue with Porter after his comments caught her attention.

“This is not his QB coach and hasn’t been since high school,” Daniels’ mother, Regina Jackson, clarified on X. “Jayden trains with Taylor Kelly from 3DQB. Smh. Please stop giving him a platform to speak.”

Multiple sources have previously linked Ryan Porter to Jayden Daniels’ development, just as they have with Taylor Kelly. Back in September 2025, ESPN even reported that Porter had worked as Daniels’ quarterback coach since Daniels was around 11 years old.

The same report added that two weeks after the title game loss in the 24-25 season, Daniels texted one of his offseason quarterback coaches, Taylor Kelly, about getting back to work. A week later, he did the same with Porter.

Soon after, Kelly once described Daniels’ mindset in detail.

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“You could tell there was never a moment in the workouts where he was like, ‘I’ve made it,'” Kelly said that time. “It was always like they were 2-[15] and he approached it as if, ‘I haven’t done anything.'”

Over the past year, Porter has become increasingly vocal about Daniels’ performance on several podcasts. He has discussed mechanics, confidence, and offseason plans openly. Still, beyond past reports and public appearances, there is no confirmed update clarifying his current role, aside from Jackson’s recent statement.

Ryan Porter’s detailed offseason plan for Jayden Daniels

Jayden Daniels opened his career with a strong debut season for the Commanders, leading the team all the way to the NFC Championship game while suiting up every week at Northwest Stadium in the nation’s capital.

However, the next year told a different story. He played just seven games, went 2 and 5, and dealt with a dislocated elbow that changed everything. And so, Porter sat down with ESPN’s John Keim to explain how Daniels plans to avoid that kind of setback again.

“I think Jayden’s big thing for the offseason this year is just to put on some more body armor,” Porter said. “I think he’s trying to, you know, just get a little bit bigger, faster, stronger, and put on some more lean muscle.”

“So, I think that’s been more of his focus, like, let me get my body right. I think from a mechanical standpoint, there’s not much that he really needs to focus on that’s new. Jayden’s skill set and what he’s been doing since he’s been in high school through college—he mechanically is top three in the NFL.”

Moreover, Porter did not hold back with praise. He suggested Daniels could become the best passer in the league, yet he also admitted that today’s defenders are bigger and stronger, which makes added muscle and protection necessary.

At the same time, the elbow injury remains the key concern. Daniels first dislocated it midway through the 2025 season, returned in Week 14, then aggravated it and missed the rest of the year. Porter believes in his talent, but he understands that availability drives everything.

It is also worth noting that Daniels won Offensive Rookie of the Year and ranked fifth in PFSN’s QB Impact Rankings before sliding to 28th during his injury-shortened campaign. Porter expects a bounce back, and Commanders fans in the nation’s capital certainly hope he is right.

However, as Porter continues to outline the plan, attention now shifts to the fallout from Daniels’ mother calling out the so-called fake coach claim. What happens next could shape this story even more.