QB Daniels ‘better,’ has chance to play vs. Bears

ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was limited in practice Friday after not practicing the previous two days, but there’s still a chance he plays Sunday vs. the Chicago Bears.

Daniels suffered a rib injury in the first quarter of a Week 7 win over Carolina. Marcus Mariota would start if Daniels can’t play when the Commanders (5-2) host the Bears (4-2).

It’s possible Daniels’ status won’t be revealed until Sunday afternoon; the game is scheduled to kick off at 4:25 p.m.

“He really pushed it today,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said. “We’ll let our eyes decide how he responds over the next 48 hours. That’ll guide us and we’ll make the best decision for him and the team.”

Daniels said he feels good.

“I want to play but it’s not my decision,” he said “It feels better, but I’ve still got some time. I’ve still got some marks I need to hit so they feel comfortable putting me out there.”

Daniels did not participate in practice during the approximately 20 minutes open to the media Friday. During part of that time the four quarterbacks were working inside the team’s practice bubble while the rest of the players were outside stretching and going through individual drills.

But the other three quarterbacks -Mariota, Jeff Driskel and Sam Hartman – all arrived to the field before the open viewing ended. Mariota and Driskel were participating in the team’s customary Friday red zone passing reps.

However, Quinn said during this period Daniels was inside working on strengthening and conditioning his core area. He later joined the session for full-team drills. Quinn said there were no limitations on Daniels Friday and he called it a “good day” for his rookie passer.

When he was at practice, Quinn said they tested his ability to scramble and make throws as well as his sudden movements vs. a blitz or other pressure.

Daniels did not practice Wednesday and Thursday. But, Quinn said, they followed the plan they laid out for Daniels at the beginning of the week – including for Friday.

“You have to push it to see where you’re at,” Quinn said. “He keeps knocking down the steps and now we’ll through them again [Saturday].”

Daniels said he’s confident the organization will make the right decision about him playing Sunday.

“It’s football. At the end of the day things happen,” Daniels said. “Sometimes you might have to fight through something, but if you could go, you can give your all and be smart about it. Obviously they wouldn’t put me in any position they wouldn’t feel comfortable in. For my future, I don’t want to put myself in that predicament either.”

Daniels injured his rib on his first play from scrimmage Sunday, a 46-yard run in which he was caught from the side and behind by two Carolina defenders. He finished the series but did not return. Mariota replaced him and completed 18-of-23 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

Mariota would make his first start since Week 13 of the 2022 season with Atlanta.

“Marcus has really helped our offense from a maturity standpoint, from a leadership standpoint,” Washington receiver Terry McLaurin said. “He makes it really easy on everybody because he’s such a leader and he knows what it’s supposed to look like and how to execute this offense. We’re confident going forward with him being the quarterback if that’s the case.”