OCTOBER 9: Quinn confirmed Daniels will make his return Sunday against the Giants.
OCTOBER 8: When speaking to reporters on Thursday, offensive coordinator David Blough confirmed (via ESPN’s John Keim) Daniels is “full go” as he prepares to play this week.
OCTOBER 7: After missing back-to-back games with a dislocated left elbow, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is trending toward returning in Week 5. As the Commanders prepare to face the NFC East rival Giants on Sunday, head coach Dan Quinn said Daniels will be a full participant in practice this week (via Tashan Reed of the Washington Post).
Daniels suffered the same injury last November and missed three games. He aggravated it when he returned in Week 14, though, and the out-of-contention Commanders shut him down for the rest of the season. Now, as long as Daniels proves he can function in practice with a large brace on his arm, he should get the nod on Sunday. That would be ideal for Washington, which will go without backup Marcus Mariota for an undisclosed period of time.
Mariota helped the Commanders to a 33-31 upset over the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Week 3, but he made a quick exit last Sunday against the Colts after going down with a knee injury in the first quarter. Seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis took over for Mariota and went 15 of 33 for 186 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 30-13 loss.
It turns out Mariota sprained his MCL for the second time since the preseason, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports. Mariota will not go on injured reserve right now, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, which suggests he will miss fewer than four games. Because the Commanders have a Week 7 bye, placing Mariota on IR would shelve him until at least Week 10.
With Kaliakmanis and practice squad QB Sam Hartman as their only fully healthy signal-callers at the moment, the Commanders worked out free agent Jack Plummer on Wednesday, according to Garafolo. They aren’t planning to sign Plummer as of now, though he could be an option down the road. Plummer, who spent most of 2024 on the Panthers’ practice squad, won the UFL MVP as the starter for the Orlando Storm this past spring. The 26-year-old has also worked out for the 49ers, Dolphins and Jets in recent months, but they all passed on signing him.
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