Rejoice. Jayden Daniels is offiicially active after a turbulent week for the rookie phenom.
Daniels' rib injury has been the source of concern this week. The Washington Commanders quarterback suffered the complication on his opening drive against the Carolina Panthers, leaving his status in Week 8 versus the Chicago Bears hanging in the balance.
The Commanders' coaching staff were ultra-cautious with Daniels throughout the practice schedule leading up to the clash. He didn't take the field on Wednesday or Thursday, getting treatment and going through meetings instead. Dan Quinn stated he did participate on Friday - albeit in the bubble away from the media - and the signal-caller was officially listed as questionable for the contest.
If it was up to Daniels, he'd be out there. But with increasing expectations and the potential for Washington to be in the NFC East title hunt over the second half of 2024, Quinn wants to take every possible precaution before making a decision one way or another.
Is Commanders QB Jayden Daniels playing in Week 8?
Adam Schefter of ESPN provided some positive clarity on the situation. The senior insider revealed that all signs point to Daniels taking the field at Northwest Stadium, although the Commanders want to see how he comes through pre-game warmups before making a decision final.
"All signs point to Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels playing Sunday against the Chicago Bears, league sources told ESPN. The Commanders still will need to see how Daniels is feeling Sunday in pregame warmups before making any final determination about whether he can start. But as one team official told ESPN said about Daniels: "He's one tough-ass dude." If Daniels does push through his rib injury and play, as he is trying to do, it would set up a battle between this season's respective No. 1 and No. 2 draft picks -- Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams and Daniels."Adam Schefter, ESPN
Dan Quinn later confirmed to Tracy Wolfson leading into the game that he felt good about Daniels' work throughout the week. The head coach also revealed that barring any setbacks, he would start the contest.
Just spoke with Dan Quinn. He feels really good with where Jayden is at and how he looked in that Friday practice. He will still workout pregame but barring a last minute setback Jayden Daniels will start today. #Commanders
— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) October 27, 2024
After going through warm-ups and showing no ill-effects, the Commanders officially gave him the green light to participate.
Having Daniels in the lineup changes everything for the Commanders. However, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury needs to alter the schematics accordingly to prevent the risk of further problems with the issue.
It's unlikely we'll see Daniels take off on the run much. Putting him in harm's way in the open field doesn't seem smart. Getting the football out quickly into the hands of his playmakers while relying heavily on the run game would be a good place to start.
The Commanders will monitor early developments extremely closely with Daniels. If he's experiencing discomfort or has obvious limitations throwing the ball, then expect to see Marcus Mariota come into the equation at some stage.
Mariota performed well after some initial jitters versus the Panthers. This is a much sterner test of Washington's credentials, so the veteran backup needs to raise his game accordingly if his number does get called at some stage.
For the moment, it seems like Daniels will start. It's also apparent that it's a fluid situation and the Commanders won't hesitate to get Mariota involved if there's even a hint of doubt.
Daniels might lot like it given his fierce competitive nature. But the Commanders must keep the bigger picture in mind.