September 17: Daniels will not practice on Wednesday, said Quinn (via NBC4 Washington). He added that Daniels would need to practice on Friday and be evaluated by the team before a decision on the Commanders’ Week 3 starter is made.
September 15: After getting banged up during Washington’s loss to Green Bay on Thursday, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels underwent an MRI. The star sophomore has since been diagnosed with a knee sprain, putting his status for Week 3 in doubt, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo (and via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra).
[RELATED: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Underwent MRI On Knee]
There is surely a sigh of relief in Washington, as the NFL Network insiders noted that the injury isn’t expected to be a long-term issue. Daniels had a separate check-in with team doctors today, and coach Dan Quinn later stated that his QB1 is considered day-to-day. The team will have more understanding of his Week 3 status when they return to practice on Wednesday.
The 2024 second-overall pick made it through his rookie campaign unscathed, although he did have to exit a midseason contest with a rib issue (which was later revealed to be a fracture). Daniels’ slender frame and dynamic play style left some scouts concerned about his durability, but he seemed to eliminate that narrative last year. Even a temporary absence in 2024 shouldn’t do much to reignite that unease.
Daniels, of course, had a rookie season for the record books, tossing 25 touchdowns and adding another six on the ground while guiding the Commanders to their first playoff victory since the 2005 season. The Commanders are hoping they can continue that momentum in 2025, although that task would prove to be a bit more daunting if Daniels is hobbled.
If Daniels does miss time, Marcus Mariota would likely be under center for the Commanders. The former second-overall pick re-signed with the Commanders this past offseason on a one-year, $8MM deal. Veteran Josh Johnson represents the only other QB on the active roster, with Sam Hartman currently stashed on the practice squad.
Rough week for QBs.
It’s insane
Of course we must trust Goodell when he says an 18 game schedule won’t have a negative impact at all…lol.
Right? Those 18 games will probably seem like nothing when they’re playing 24 games 20 years from now. The dollar rules all.
Keep running….and Karma in the form of much bigger guys looking to knock your little ass down hard will hurt you worse….is that RG III calling to remind him of the dangers of downfield RPO runs? A short career in the making…..
Daniels already winced on his leg even before he injured it thoroughly on Thursday.
The Raiders game would be a good rest game for Daniels and a good time to play Mariota. If the Redskins/Commies can’t beat the sad sack Raiders with Mariota at the helm, the season is lost anyway. The Falcons in week 4 look like a bigger challenge, but since it’s not a divisional game or particularly tough opponent, it may make sense to hold Daniels back until week 5 where they visit the Chargers.
Mariota will probably not be able to outshoot Justin Herbert, no matter how hard they Chargers try to fumble and intercept the game away in the fourth quarter.
Daniels has another potential rest game in week 6 on Monday night football against the Bears.
Bottom line….picking them as pre-season favorites to go the the Super Bowl was very…very premature…..oldest team in the league and a QB with an offense that calls for RPO’s when you QB is a smallish QB to begin with…..pretty dumb…..
Whom ever picked them to go to the SB probably meant as spectators…not participants 🙂
Same people that put Arch up on that pedestal.
Not sure that any other team in the league has all that much more to recommend them to the Super Bowl at this point. Parity era.
Be smart. Take the week off. 😉