It's no secret that Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has a lot to prove in 2026. After earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and leading the Commanders to their first NFC Championship appearance in 30 years in 2024, last season was a massive flop.Last year's decline wasn't really a decline in Daniels' performance as much as the team suffering a ton of injuries, including Daniels. Because of how last season went, though, expectations are high. ESPN's Louis Riddick says he believes Daniels will return to his 2024 form in 2026."I expect Jayden to remind everybody of who he is and who he was in 2024."-@LRiddickESPN on what he expects of Jayden Daniels this year pic.twitter.com/0r4M9TLjoY Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 6, 2026"I expect Jayden to remind everybody of who he is and who he was in 2024, when he had the greatest rookie season of a quarterback of all time," Riddick says. "That's what I expect. Nothing's changed with him. The guy is brilliant. He's got great, I mean great, ability to pass the football. Fast. Electric. Smart. A leader. Lifts people up."Riddick goes on to talk about how Daniels' size has nothing to do with his injuries, that he had some bad breaks, and it happens."Signing Stefon (Diggs) is big. Terry (McLaurin) being healthy and not coming off a contract negotiation is huge. Antonio Williams is a stud, the kid who they drafted out of Clemson. Offensive line, running backs, they need to make sure that those areas are secure. Jayden Daniels is a top-five quarterback in the NFL."Riddick has plenty more to say on this subject, but it's clear that he believes Daniels is going to show us he is back ti his 2024 form, or maybe he's even better. Riddick is also one of the few analysts we've seen this summer who believes that Daniels is a top-five quarterback, which he absolutely is.A former NFL safety who played college football at Pittsburgh, Riddick also worked in football operations as a scout and in player personnel. His evaluations of players mean something, and everyone should take note. Daniels didn't take a step back in year two; he spent time off the field with injuries. Now he's healthy and ready to get back on the field and show the league that he is still the same player.This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: ESPN analyst says Commanders' Jayden Daniels is a top-5 NFL QB