The Washington Commanders reportedly worked out free-agent quarterback Jack Plummer before preparations for Week 5 versus the New York Giants gather pace. Even though they won't sign the signal-caller, they have left the door open.
They are standing pat, leaving their fate in the hands of Jayden Daniels' health.
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network revealed that Plummer's workout went well, but the Commanders are rolling with what they have for now. Daniels is coming back this weekend against the Giants if everything goes well in practice, and veteran backup Marcus Mariota is not going to injured reserve despite suffering an MCL sprain in Week 4.
Commanders are risking it all with Jayden Daniels, and it's their only choice
The Commanders are holding firm. But that doesn't hide how precarious this situation is.
Mariota is out, and might be for a few weeks. Daniels is coming back quickly from a dislocated elbow, and we all know what happened when he did the same last year.
After that, the Commanders have seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis and practice squad quarterback Sam Hartman, who is nowhere near the required standard.
Not exactly the model of stability. But if Daniels stays healthy the rest of the way, the team will have averted a major crisis.
Plummer was not going to set the world alight. His preseason involvement last year with the Carolina Panthers suggests that. But not adding another body could mean there is confidence that Daniels' problems will be kept to a minimum moving forward.
Commanders' season would be sunk without Jayden Daniels, no matter who came into the building
That is not guaranteed, but the Commanders have to count on it.
That might be asking too much of Daniels, but it's a pressure he welcomes.
And in all honesty, he shares the same sentiment.
Daniels knows he is the franchise player. He knows the Commanders will go as far as he takes them, and he takes that responsibility extremely seriously.
If Daniels goes down again, the Commanders' hopes for improvements this season are all but gone. It doesn't matter if it's Mariota, Kaliakmanis, Hartman, or even someone off the street like Plummer; it won't matter.
The Commanders will roll with what they have and hope for the best. Nobody coming into the building now is going to make that big of a difference, so pushing all their chips into the middle with Daniels' health is the only option.
Washington has to insulate Daniels if he gets the all clear to take his place in the lineup this weekend. Kaliakmanis will likely back him up, and he showed some impressive flashes when thrown into the fire against the Indianapolis Colts.
Asking him to be anything more than a development project is a stretch. However, it's not like Plummer or anyone else would keep things ticking over any better.
This is all predicated on Daniels' successful return. If it goes well, the Commanders might be more competitive. If not, then big changes will be on the horizon.
And signing Plummer at some stage doesn't change that at all.
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