The Washington Commanders are preparing for Jayden Daniels to return after dislocating his elbow in Week 9, but those preparations don’t include head coach Dan Quinn talking about any plans to rest the second-year quarterback once he’s healthy.
Daniels is getting closer to returning to health, based on the latest positive injury update. The Commanders will have their franchise signal-caller back at practice, but Quinn says Daniels is still “unlikely to play (Sunday)” against the Denver Broncos in Week 13 because he’s “not yet been cleared for contact,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
That makes sense, and a return date against the Minnesota Vikings on December 7 is identified by ESPN’s John Keim as “the likely target. But nothing is certain at this point. Much more to learn first.”
Daniels suiting up against the Vikings would put to rest any idea of the Commanders not risking him for the final portion of what’s been a gruelling campaign. The debate about shutting down last season’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has been raging for a while, but Quinn isn’t getting involved.
Instead, Quinn revealed, “That’s not something we really discussed, internally,” per The Washington Post’s Tom Schad.
It sounds as though Quinn would be content to put Daniels back onto the field before this season is in the books. Some will see it as an unnecessary risk when the team is 3-8, but Daniels is still a young player who needs to hone his craft, and the Commanders need to engender some goodwill before a planned raising of ticket prices.
Commanders Still Need Jayden Daniels in 2025
It’s the longest of long shots, but the 2025 Commanders still aren’t officially eliminated from playoff contention. So there’s still some value to getting Daniels back into the lineup as soon as possible.
He still represents the best chance for the Commanders to win football games, even if signs of a sophomore slump have been impossible to ignore. Daniels has regressed in a few key areas, most notably when it comes to being accurate and efficient with the football.
The 24-year-old has completed 62.5 percent of his passes, down from 69 a year ago, per Pro Football Reference. Daniels has also averaged under 200 yards through the air per game across eight starts.
Those numbers show Daniels still has work to do, work he can do best on the field. Even against a Vikings defense posting the highest blitz percentage in football, sending extra rushers after quarterbacks 41 percent of the time.
His talent remains undeniable, but the Commanders need to do more to surround Daniels with playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Commanders Must Put More Talent Around Their QB
Daniels will get value from additional playing time this season, but he’ll benefit more from a stronger supporting cast. That will mean adding a competent and dynamic third wide receiver, putting a bluechip workhorse into the backfield and bolstering a defense threadbare in every area.
The onus is on general manager Adam Peters to acquire a marquee defensive end, a more athletic linebacker and a rangy safety. It’s a pretty lengthy to-do list, but every one of those moves is necessary for ensuring Daniels doesn’t have to carry a structurally unsound team.
More of that kind of pressure will not only make the Commanders a losing product at a time when Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports the franchise is “raising 2026 season ticket prices by an average of just under 10 percent.” It would also lead to Daniels taking more risks with his dual-threat skills and increasing the chances of future injuries.
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