Jayden Daniels has not been fully cleared for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks yet, but head coach Dan Quinn did provide some good news for the Washington Commanders' quarterback.
Daniels, who injured his hamstring during the Commanders' 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago, suited up for Wednesday's walkthrough and is expected to be a full participant throughout the week, putting him on track to make his return during this weekend's matchup on Sunday Night Football.
"If all goes right, I would love to play," Daniels said.
Check out the top shots of the Washington Commanders from their Week 7 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Commanders were quick to rule Daniels, who had already missed two games with a knee injury prior to Week 7, out of their primetime game against the Kansas City Chiefs last week. While they were pleased with Daniels' MRI results, which revealed the injury was not significant, the Commanders announced Thursday that Daniels would not play on Monday Night Football, allowing him to focus solely on his recovery.
Washington dropped its third consecutive game against the Chiefs, 28-7, but the plan to sit Daniels ended up being the correct choice. Quinn said Daniels had a good rehab session on Sunday and that the team expected him to be ready for practice on Wednesday.
"I felt good towards the end of the week," Daniels said. "But at the end of the day, we gotta do what's best for me and my future. I would have loved to be out there, but that just wasn't part of the plan."
The Commanders' Wednesday practice was only a walkthrough, but Daniels looked unbothered by his hamstring during the portion open to the media as he went through drills with his fellow quarterbacks.
While the Commanders have confidence in backup Marcus Mariota, who completed 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against the Chiefs, it is clear the Commanders are a different team with Daniels in the lineup. They are now 1-3 when Daniels is either ruled out or unable to finish a game with their only win coming against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3.
Assuming he does return to the lineup, Daniels will lead a Commanders team in dire need of a win to keep their playoff hopes afloat. The Commanders have three home games over the next four weeks, with the first matchup being against the Seahawks in primetime. Seattle (5-2) is undefeated on the road with a defense that leads the league in stopping the run. The San Francisco 49ers, who opened the season against the Seahawks, are the only team to rush for 100 yards against the unit.
Daniels will also be without Terry McLaurin, who Quinn said reinjured his quad against the Chiefs and will not play on Sunday. McLaurin has dealt with his quad injury since Week 3 and only just made a full return to practice last week. McLaurin caught three passes for 54 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown and a 25-yard sideline catch.
Although Quinn did not put a timeline on McLaurin's recovery, he doesn't believe it will be a long-term issue. After connecting for 12 touchdowns a year ago, McLaurin and Daniels have only been on the field together for two games.
"I think that's just football," Daniels said when asked about the injuries the Commanders have sustained this season. "You gotta be able to adapt. I gotta go out there and control what I can control if I'm out there just like everybody else does. It's very unfortunate that Terry won't be out there, but you know, next man up mentality."
