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john keem
Washington Commanders quarterback jayden daniels Will return to practice this week but playing against them is considered a long shot broncos Sunday night, coach Dan Quinn said.
Daniels has not yet been cleared for contact. He has not played in a game since dislocating his left, non-throwing elbow during a loss to Seattle on November 2. Daniels did not require surgery and suffered no structural damage to his elbow. Commanders did not place him on injured reserve, indicating hope for a possible return at the time.
Quinn said he did not internally discuss shutting down Daniels for the season. Washington fell to 3–6 at the time of the injury. The Commanders are now 3-8 heading into Sunday’s matchup vs. Denver (9-2) but have lost six consecutive games.
Quinn said he’s still not sure when Daniels will return.
“It’s important for Jaden to grow, learn to play this position competitively at the highest level,” Quinn said. “Also doing it safely. Those are the reps you develop as well. It’s a skill just like throwing and processing. All of those things are important.”
Daniels has already missed five games this season due to three separate injuries. He sat out the third and fourth weeks due to a left knee sprain, after being hit by a defender’s helmet at the end of a run.
He returned for three games and then suffered a right hamstring injury in a sack versus Dallas in Week 7. Daniels then returned for one game and recovered from an elbow injury with 7:39 remaining in the loss to the Washington Seahawks, 38–7. There were 12:30 left in the game and the drive began.
Afterwards, Quinn said he had no regrets about leaving Daniels in the game, but said the next day that he should have removed him earlier.
There remains a strong possibility for Washington to reach the playoffs. But, Quinn said, he still wants Daniels to play so he can improve.
“You just have to try to do what’s best for the player,” Quinn said. “We know what we want to do and how we want to do it, but by no means are we being careless about it. This is important not only for Jaden, but for our entire team.”
If Daniels returns, it would help them have a full complement of receivers. Washington opens 21-day window for receiver noah brownWho has not played since the second week due to a back injury. He missed most of the training camp due to back and knee problems.
Terry McLaurinQuinn has missed seven of the last eight games due to injury and could return soon, although Quinn said he is not yet sure when that might happen. McLaurin traveled with the team to Madrid, Spain to continue his on-field rehabilitation work.
Daniels missed one game in 2024 due to a broken rib but did not miss any games. Quinn said he had a minor hamstring strain that sidelined him from the season finale, which was not an issue when practice began for the wild-card round of the playoffs the following week.
In six games this season, Daniels – a 2024 NFL offensive rookie – has thrown for 1,184 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 262 yards and two scores.
Quinn said he would like to see the projected starting offense come together to learn more about what is needed moving forward. For Daniels, part of what they want to see is that he is playing the role “as safely as possible.”
“There’s a skill that goes with it,” Quinn said.
