David Blough affirmed what Commanders fans always thought about Jayden Daniels

Jayden Daniels is making his triumphant return in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Washington Commanders feel comfortable that his dislocated elbow has healed enough, but some fans still believe it's too big a risk with nothing to play for other than pride.

They wanted Washington's franchise player shut down for the season. That was never really a realistic proposition, especially as Daniels got back with five games remaining. Any player can get hurt at any time, but the Commanders would be wise to make some slight tweaks to their approach to minimize the possible risks moving forward.

Daniels is clearly relishing the prospect of being under center once again. The pleas from experts and fans to be cautious fell on deaf ears, and interim quarterbacks coach David Blough laid things out perfectly regarding the benefits of an extended run before the campaign concludes.

David Blough outlines precisely why Jayden Daniels needs to play

Blough, who is taking over from Tavita Pritchard after he secured the head coaching gig at Stanford, thought the added reps, exposure to different coverages, and rebuilding chemistry with his teammates were far more beneficial than sitting out. And the coach is confident everyone will see the real Daniels almost immediately.

"When you think about it, call it 330 reps, and that's going to be 170 pass attempts that he needs to see coverage and be able to pull from the rollerdex in the future going forward. For trust in his teammates to play the position at a high level. I think it's really important for him to be out there and just go for it in a big way. And I think our guys are going to like the result."

David Blough

The NFL is a violent sport, but Daniels needs to play. Things haven't clicked this season, and his injury problems haven't helped. Still, he's also got almost a full complement of pass-catchers available with Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown back, so there is only Luke McCaffrey missing right now.

That's something Daniels hasn't had since Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. With the offensive line emerging as a legitimate bright spot, and Washington's ground game finding the right formula with Chris Rodriguez Jr. leading the charge, all signs point to a profitable outing against a Vikings defense that can be dangerous if early momentum is generated.

The former LSU standout worked hard to convince the coaching and medical staff that he should be in the mix. And now, Daniels gets the chance to show the entire NFL world how different things would be for the Commanders if the injury bug hadn't hit this organization.

Get your popcorn ready…