Washington Commanders fans experienced a horrible déjà vu in Week 2 as they watched quarterback Jayden Daniels go down with another dislocated elbow. But their fears may have been overblown, as the quarterback is set to return to action in Week 5.
Daniels was spotted throwing on Wednesday and was listed as a full participant in practice ahead of the team’s game against the New York Giants on Sunday.
Advertisement
On Thursday, the team’s offensive coordinator David Blough said Daniels was “all in” on the competition, signaling the quarterback would get the start.
Daniels’ practice status shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise. Despite his injury last week, he was able to practice on a limited basis each day. Ultimately, Daniels was ruled out of the team’s Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts in London, but it was a sign that he was closer to returning than expected.
However, disaster struck during that contest, as quarterback Marcus Mariota left the game with a knee injury that was expected to keep him sidelined for several weeks. With Daniels also out for this game, the Commanders were forced to turn to third-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. Although the rookie threw his first NFL touchdown, he couldn’t carry the team all the way in a 30-13 loss.
Advertisement
Although it looked like Kaliakmanis was ready for multiple starts, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said that wasn’t the case after the loss. Quinn told reporters the hope was for Daniels to return against the Giants in Week 5. The coach doubled down on those comments the next day, saying Daniels would get all practice reps and start in Week 5. Quinn added that Daniels wanted to play in Week 4, but the team chose to play cautiously. The team reportedly took a similar approach with Terry McLaurin, who could also return to action in Week 5, although he was working on the sideline during Wednesday’s practice and was listed as “did not practice” on the injury report.
With Daniels returning, the Commanders should be in a much better position moving forward. If the team has any hope of recovering from its 1-3 start, Daniels’ return seems like a reason for optimism.
The team should still be concerned about Daniels’ future. The quarterback suffered the same injury last year and was forced to sit out his first game after aggravating the injury.
The Commanders will have to hope that he avoids the same fate this time around and is able to dig the team out of its first hole and get back into the playoff race.
Gn sports
