Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Monday that quarterback Jayden Daniels remains day to day in his recovery from a knee sprain that he suffered in Week 2, leaving his status for Sunday’s game in Atlanta uncertain.
“As we get into Wednesday, I’ll be more qualified (to talk about) practice and what we can hit on. He went through some things today, some more tomorrow and that’ll lead us up to Wednesday.”
Commanders players have an off-day on Tuesdays for those needing treatment at the team facility. Wednesdays are often the first full day of practice and meetings before facing their next opponent.
Daniels was injured in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers, but stayed in for the remainder of the game. He did not participate in the first two days of practice last week, but did throw some on the field before the team workouts, according to Quinn, and was listed as a limited participant on Friday.
Marcus Mariota took first-team reps throughout practice during the week, and last Friday was named the starter for the Commanders’ Week 3 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In his first start since 2022, Mariota guided Washington to six scoring drives (special teams contributed a seventh) to soundly defeat the Raiders, 41-24. The Commanders produced 400 yards of offense, including 201 on the ground; converted five of 10 third-down attempts and turned both of their red-zone drives into touchdowns.
Mariota accounted for one of those red-zone touchdowns — a 2-yard run to cap the Commanders’ opening drive — as well as 40 rushing yards. He also completed 15 of 21 pass attempts (71.4 percent) for 207 yards, one touchdown and a 118.6 passer rating.
When asked on Monday if Mariota’s performance affected the team’s timeline for Daniels, Quinn first lauded his backup quarterback, but assured that his play last Sunday would not factor into the team’s plans for Daniels.
“I was probably one of the least surprised people in the stadium that he played well,” Quinn said of Mariota. “ … But as far as tying one to the other, that’s not part of the deal. We just have a lot of trust in him and how we would go about it. But we’ll lean into the medical people and where we’re at and what to do.”
Daniels was seen wearing a large brace around his knee while in the locker room last week. He wore it again when he arrived at the stadium on Sunday and joined his teammates on the sideline near the end of their win.
Quinn said Friday that Daniels had made notable progress in his recovery, including running a bit that day, which the coach took as a promising sign.
However, he still needed to see more from Daniels before he could return. Among those things, according to Quinn, is showing he’s able to change directions without issue, being able to move in the pocket and throwing off different platforms.
“We’re going to do it in a smart way and make sure we make the right decisions,” he said last week. “… We know his importance to us and what we do, but we’re going to try to just be as smart as we can.”
(Photo of Jayden Daniels talking to teammates Sunday: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
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