What happened: Jayden Daniels was spotted at Los Angeles Stadium taking in a Spain-Austria match this offseason, a reminder that he is one of the more visible young stars in the league right now. He enters Year 3 as the unquestioned face of the Washington Commanders offense. The offseason chatter around his ceiling has not slowed down.

Why it matters: The case for a top-5 ranking rests on the dual-threat command he showed across his first two seasons and the way teammates describe his leadership heading into the new year. Skeptics will point out the position is stacked with established veterans and that a Year 3 leap is not guaranteed. That tension is exactly what makes the ranking debatable rather than settled.