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The ‘unbelievable technology’ behind Jayden Daniels’ historic rookie season in the NFL

As the Washington Commanders prepare to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, the QB will be taking advantage of a virtual reality training aid.

How does Jayden Daniels use VR?
SCOTT TAETSCHAFP

When Jayden Daniels takes to the field for the Washington Commanders on Sunday he will become just the sixth rookie quarterback in NFL history to start a Conference Championship game.

Daniels was already billed as a potential superstar during a stellar college career but has managed to exceed those expectations during his debut NFL season, recording a pass completion percentage of 69% and leading his team deep into the postseason. The 24-year-old is a relentless competitor and takes advantage of anything that can give him an in-game edge.

During his time at LSU Daniels was known to use a virtual reality training program that simulated the chaotic scene that unfolds in the seconds after a snap.

The technology, created by German company Cognilize, allows QBs to get reps against a rival team’s defensive unit. The VR device came with Daniels to the Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is a passionate advocate.

“I’m all in on it,” Kingsbury told The Athletic earlier this season. “I mean, it’s an unbelievable technology.”

How does Jayden Daniels use VR?

Not only does the device allow teams to recreate the defensive set-ups that a QB will encounter in a game, it also gives them the opportunity to tweak the scenarios for practice. Daniels uses the VR device every morning at 6am and regularly uses it at a 1.75x rate, cutting down the amount of time that he has to make a read and a decision after the snap.

“It moves faster within the VR than actual human beings,” Daniels explained. “Once you get out there, everything slows down. I know this is coming. I’ve seen this before.”

He described regular game speed as feeling “like slow motion” after using the sped-up VR device. In fact, Pro Football Network reports that it has allowed Daniels to read defences 80% faster.

He’ll need every millisecond of that read time against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The Eagles boast a league-best defence this season, allowing just 16.9 points and 174.2 passing yards per game. Both of those are the lowest figures in the entire NFL. As daunting as that sounds it’s unlikely to unsettle Jayden Daniels, he’ll have seen it all before.

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