Jayden Daniels narrowly avoided a combined blitz from Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II and safety Grant Delpit, rolled to his right and faced a decision on third-and-13: try to get the first down with his legs, or keep looking upfield and give one of his receivers a chance.

Daniels chose the latter and relied on wide receiver Terry McLaurin to make him right. He sent the ball flying 52 yards with a flick of his wrist, and McLaurin, who had gotten behind Denzel Ward on the play, made the grab and took the ball down to the Browns' 2-yard line for a 66-yard gain.

"That was just a scramble drill," McLaurin said after the Washington Commanders' 34-13 win over the Browns. "Honestly, we've been working on that for a while, so for it to show up in that spot was really big."

It was one of Daniels' best throws in a game that was not considered his best performance, although his 320 total yards and passing touchdown were enough to fuel the Commanders' high-powered offense. Daniels has shown that he can grow as an NFL quarterback even when he isn't setting rookie and league records, and his throw to McLaurin showed coach Dan Quinn just how much he has developed over the past month.

"I even had that discussion of remaining a passer and being able to stay and throw the ball down the field where maybe early in the season on that play we might've seen Jayden use his legs," Quinn said Monday.

Washington's game against the Browns served as a barometer for Daniels since his season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- a game in which he played fine by many standards but still showed room to grow. Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay's defense, which was known for putting pressure on young quarterbacks, blitzed Daniels on 42.4% of their defensive snaps. Daniels completed 71% of his passes, but there were moments when he could have thrown the ball instead of running it himself, which he did 16 times for 88 yards and two scores.

The Browns have been even more prone to blitz at a rate of 35.3%, which ranks third in the league, compared to Buccaneers' 30.9 blitz percentage according to Pro Football Reference. The Browns were also one of the best at using man coverage with Newsome and Ward, so it shaped up to be an even more daunting task for the rookie.

And while there were times against the Browns when Daniels did use his legs -- he had 11 carries for 82 yards, putting him at 300 for the year -- those decisions weren't made at the cost of making a bigger play in the passing game. Case in point: his pass to McLaurin. The possibility of him keeping the offense on the field was far more likely than him trying to pick up the first down himself, especially with a defender in his face.

Not only did the play work, but it put the offense in scoring position.

"I think Jayden is doing a better job each and every week just keeping his eyes down the field," McLaurin said. "And as receivers, we just want to put ourselves in a position to find some open space and try to make a play. So, it was a good play to connect on that."

One of Daniels' qualities that Quinn appreciates the most is his ability to learn and quickly apply that information. Daniels passing charts are examples of that; in Week 1, almost all of his passes traveled 10 yards or fewer, but they have become more spread out, and successful, in recent weeks because of his increased comfort level and tendency to keep his eyes downfield.

"Now the defenders can no longer come up, you've got to stay back in coverage because now there's certainly a dual threat," Quinn said. "I just love the way that he is growing. He really puts the work in, that's why so many of the teammates have such high regard for him."

And Daniels' legs still come into play because of how he is able to extend plays, just as he did on his pass to McLaurin. That, Quinn said, can be "demoralizing" for a defense.

"But at the end what I can tell you is, he processes quickly and all right, 'This is how they're going to go, then this is how we're going to go play,'" Quinn said. "And so, you learn from those as well. And I'd much prefer lessons and learning after winning, I can tell you that. But all of it is information and he's such a remarkable competitor that he does learn."