Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is set to return to practice this week after dislocating his elbow against the Seattle Seahawks 24 days ago, head coach Dan Quinn confirmed during his Monday press conference.
Daniels, who also participated in the team's walkthrough Monday afternoon, has not been cleared for contact yet, making it unlikely, according to Quinn, that he will be available for the Commanders' game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football. Still, the team, and Daniels himself, have hope that he will return at some point during its final six games of the season so he can continue his development.
"If I'm healthy and ready to go, I want to be out there," Daniels said.
Daniels, who attended the Commanders' 24th annual Harvest Feast at Northwest Stadium, has not practiced since suffering his elbow injury in the closing minutes of the Seahawks game. Daniels' elbow did not sustain any structural damage or require surgery, prompting the Commanders to hold off on moving Daniels to the Injured Reserve list. Instead, the Commanders decided to reevaluate Daniels after the bye week with the hope of a possible return.
Although Quinn said the Commanders did not discuss the possibility of shutting Daniels down for the season, there is still no clear timeframe for when, or if, the quarterback will come back this season. Although Daniels is eager to be back on the field, he's not looking too far ahead.
"It's a day-by-day process," Daniels said. "Kind of just getting back in the rhythm of things and the flow of things."
The Commanders, who fell to 3-6 at the time of Daniels' elbow injury, have a narrow path toward making the playoffs this season after suffering their sixth consecutive loss to the Miami Dolphins in Madrid, Spain. They will likely need to win their last six games, starting with their Week 13 home game against the Broncos. They also have four more division games on the horizon, two of which are against the first-place Philadelphia Eagles.
While getting Daniels back on the field and fully healthy would help provide the Commanders with the best chance to win, the team also wants Daniels to play at some point this season so he can continue to grow in the position.
"It's important that Jayden's getting going, learning to play this position at the highest level competitively," Quinn said. "Also doing it safely. Those are reps that you develop as well. It's a skill just like throwing and processing. All those things are important."
Prior to his elbow injury, which caused him to miss the last two games, Daniels had already missed three games with two other injuries. He sustained a sprained left knee against the Green Bay Packers, which forced him to sit out Weeks 3 and 4. Then, after playing against the Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears, he suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of the Commanders' Week 7 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Commanders remain cautious with Daniels as he returns to practice, but they also believe it is important for him to get as many snaps as possible in a game scenario, assuming he is cleared to play.
"You've just got to try to do what's best for the player," Quinn said. "We know what we're looking to do and how we want to do it, but by no means are we careless about that. It's important not just for Jayden, but important for our entire team."
And Daniels is on board with that.
"It's my second year in the NFL; you learn a lot of different things," Daniels said. "It wouldn't be my first time going through adversity."
Aside from Daniels, the Commanders are set to get several key offensive players back in the near future. Noah Brown, who has only played in two games this season, is in his 21-day window to return to the active roster from Injured Reserve. Terry McLaurin is set to return to practice after re-injuring his quad against the Kansas City Chiefs. Assuming both Brown and McLaurin come back, it would be the first time the Commanders would have all three of their starting wide receivers -- the third player being Deebo Samuel -- since Week 2.
The Commanders would like to see the starting offense they believed they would have this season at some point in the next six weeks. "You want to really push one another to see where you can take it," Quinn said, "You want to find the things that you want to improve upon, and that's really what you're always looking for." Daniels would like to be part of that, assuming his recovery process goes as planned.
"It's important as a player," Daniels said. "You want to go back and play as a competitor. That's who I am."
