Jayden Daniels was in a chipper mood addressing the media after Wednesday's practice compared to last week. He was more conversational when answering questions and took a couple of playful jabs at Washington Commanders Director of Football Communications Charlie Mule about the New York Mets missing the playoffs.

That's not a guarantee that Daniels is going to play on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, but things are certainly trending that way.

Head coach Dan Quinn started off his press conference by announcing that Daniels, who has been nursing a knee injury for the past two weeks, has been cleared by the team's doctors and will be a full go this week in practice. Though it wasn't meant to be taken as a statement that he will start, Daniels is operating as if he expects to make his return.

"I wanted to get back out there two weeks ago," Daniels said. "So, if I have the opportunity, I would love to go out there and play."

Despite Daniels asserting that he wanted to be back on the field sooner, the Commanders have taken a cautious approach with his recovery. He did not practice in the days immediately following the matchup against the Green Bay Packers when the injury occurred and only did individual work the Friday before the team's game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Daniels was more active last week as the team prepared for the Atlanta Falcons. He was a limited participant that Wednesday and Thursday, telling reporters that he felt "good" and that he could move well enough to play if called upon. Quinn was complimentary of Daniels' work ethic, saying that Daniels was doing everything possible to get back in the lineup. However, the medical team determined that he wasn't quite ready to play yet, and he was listed as inactive for the second straight game.

Daniels was forced to watch from afar as the Commanders got a 41-24 win over the Raiders and suffered a 34-27 loss to the Falcons, which the quarterback said was "tough."

"Obviously, as a competitor, you wanna go out there and help your team in any way possible," Daniels said. "But DQ [Quinn] and my team were...there for me, because obviously they knew how much it meant to me. I tried to return that same energy, and I think I was able to do that."

Daniels is now in the final stages of his return to play process, meaning that he'll need to show that he can still do all the motions and actions that make him unique as a player. Quinn said he wants to see Daniels "get back into the fold of it." He'll take all the reps in practice, so he'll have his chances to show he can execute at full speed.

Daniels felt like he could have done that two weeks ago, but like the team, he put his trust in the doctors to make the call.

"In their eyes, probably this past weekend is when I started feeling like myself," Daniels said.

Daniels might be sporting some new hardware if he does make his return against the Chargers. He was spotted wearing a brace during Wednesday's practice, although he admitted he's "not the biggest fan" of it. He'll wear it if he needs it, though.

"If that's what I have to wear, then I'll do anything possible, but we'll see on Sunday," he said.

Sunday's game could carry some special meaning for Daniels. It would be his first game as a professional player in the Los Angeles area where he spent his childhood, and he plans to have a lot of friends and family attend the game. "It would mean everything," he said, to be able to play an NFL game in his hometown.

As for whether that will actually happen, well...

"I guess we'll have to see on Sunday," Daniels said with a smile.