It was third-and-3 from the Washington Commanders' 45-yard line as Jayden Daniels reared back to fire a shot to Terry McLaurin near the right sideline. The throw itself wasn't that impressive -- the ball only traveled four yards before getting to its target; it was how Daniels threw the ball that stood out the most.

McLaurin ran a stop route on the play, but rather than hitting the receiver dead-on, Daniels sent the pass slightly left, forcing McLaurin to come back for the ball. Once McLaurin made the catch, he turned upfield, shrugged off the defensive back covering him and turned the short pass into a 20-yard gain.

Much of Daniels' 78-yard performance against the Miami Dolphins -- and the entire preseason, for that matter -- has been filled with plays like that. Head coach Dan Quinn has placed several tests in front of the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner over the past month, and Daniels has passed most of them by directing an offense that already looks much improved from last season, never mind it being the preseason.

And while there's a lot to Daniels' skill set that should get Commanders' fans excited, his performances on third downs provide some of the most promising signs of optimism.

"I thought he had another really good outing," Quinn said after the Commanders' 13-6 loss to the Dolphins. "The accuracy, the decision-making of where to go. He really is a unique competitor."

Assuming Daniels continues to play smart and take care of the football -- there's been no indication that will change -- his presence should alleviate one of the Commanders' biggest problems for the last five years: sustaining drives.

There were several factors that led to Washington having the 25th-ranked scoring offense in 2023, from the lack of run-pass balance to allowing the second-most sacks in the league, but struggling to convert third downs was one of the most problematic. They had a conversion rate of just 35.7%, which ranked 25th in the NFL and third lowest in the NFC.

The lack of ability to stay on the field in 2023 was the latest addition to a much longer trend for Washington. Since 2017, the team has not ranked higher than 24th in third-down conversions rate.

Daniels, who led an LSU offense that converted 51.7% of its third downs in 2023, has only played in three drives this preseason. Although the two defenses he has seen -- the Dolphins and Jets -- boasted some of the best numbers in the NFL last season, it's worth pointing out that neither unit played many of their starters.

Still, Daniels can only go against the players in front of him, and the results show that the Commanders are 5-of-7 when Daniels is leading the offense.

"Everybody should be very excited just from that little sneak peek," said right guard Sam Cosmi. "I know I am. I know the guys are fired up. I think we got a dude back there."

What should get the fans and coaches excited is that third downs are when Daniels' best qualities seem to come out. His first completion came on a third-and-6 against the Jets, and after checking out of the original play, he laid out a 42-yards shot to Dyami Brown.

Anyone who watched Daniels in college knows that deep throws are well within his skill set. He had 29 big time throws in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus, which was tied for third most in the FBS.

"I feel like it just gives everybody confidence moving forward," Daniels said. "Obviously, not just me, but being able to connect with Dyami down the field. I know that gave him confidence ... just seeing those little steps that we need to take in order to be successful and execute at a high level."

The next third down Daniels saw -- third-and-goal at the Jets' 3-yard line -- showed off another exciting part of his game: his legs. Daniels faked the handoff to Austin Ekeler before sprinting to his right and crossing the goal line for the touchdown, capping off an 11-play drive.

Daniels earned the right to play an extra drive against the Dolphins, putting the Commanders within scoring distance on both. He faced his first third-down -- a third-and-2 -- on the third play, and this time, he fired another dart to Brown in another tight window for a seven-yard pickup.

Placing the ball in areas where only his receiver can make the catch has been one of Daniels' best qualities since camp began.

"He's almost like a vet out there," Brown said. "He's having a lot of fun with it, and at the end of the day, you can't ask for too much more out of him. He understands what's going on. He understands ball placement. He understands defenses. Just him coming in and having that confidence like that, I don't think he's a rookie."

Daniels' completion to McLaurin put Washington on the edge of field goal range at the Dolphins' 35-yard line. The drive stalled three plays later, as Daniels threw away a pass intended for McLaurin, but there was a reason he threw the ball well away from danger.

The Dolphins called the right blitz for the play on third-and-6. Two defenders came running at Daniels from his right, which the quarterback felt almost from the moment the ball touched his hands. But rather than spinning out or speeding up his progression to force a throw, Daniels decided to throw it away and take the field goal from the 31-yard line rather than risk taking a sack.

"We're in a territory where we don't want to take any sacks," Daniels said. "We had points on the board, so...at least try to throw it away, give Terry a shot to go make the play."

Daniels prides himself on taking care of the ball, choosing to either take calculated risks or throws that he knows will give his teammates a chance to produce. That was the case on Daniels' last play of the night -- a third-and-11 from the Dolphin's 32-yard line. Instead of trying to get all 11 yards to convert the down on his own, he hit John Bates for a four-yard completion that was short of the sticks but kept the team in field goal range.

"It basically comes down to trust," Daniels said. "... They trust me to put the ball where it needs to be, and I trust them to win and get open."

Assuming Daniels doesn't play in the preseason finale against the New England Patriots, Daniels will finish the month going 12-of-15 for 123 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. That doesn't mean Daniels is a lock to fix the Commanders' quarterback problems that have existed for nearly a decade, but it does show that so far, he has aced every test that has been put in front of him.

And when the pressure is at its highest, he's going to produce when the Commanders need him the most.

"It means a lot that they trust me to play the position, put the ball in the right spot, take care of the football, let me play football," Daniels said.