The Washington Commanders may not have to wait as long as expected for Jayden Daniels to get back on the field.
After Daniels dislocated his left elbow and looked like he might be done for the season, head coach Dan Quinn said there’s at least a chance the quarterback could be available this week against the New York Giants.
"That's the hope for us for sure, [Jayden] coming back," Quinn said, per CBS.
Quinn laid out the plan for Daniels to ramp up through the week, with the goal of getting a full slate of work in practice.
"He'll have a full week of practice Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. That's the goal that he could get into that space.
Once we see where Marcus [Mariota] is ... we'll have a better understanding. That's the goal for Jayden to throw a full week.
He was able to do some limited this week, and this week would be the plan for him to do all the reps."
That would be a stunning turnaround considering how ugly the injury looked. Daniels, the former LSU standout, appeared to be facing a long absence after the elbow injury.
Washington has already been forced to adjust behind center. Marcus Mariota was starting in place of Daniels, and after Mariota went down with an injury of his own, the Commanders had to turn to third-stringer Athan Kaliakmanis in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts in London. The result was a 30-13 loss.
Mariota had played well the previous week against the Seattle Seahawks, but his status now adds another layer of uncertainty for Washington as it heads into the Giants game.
For now, the Commanders are holding out hope that Daniels can return sooner rather than later. Given the way he has competed and pushed through injuries before, Washington is clearly preparing for the possibility that he could be back in the mix quickly. And with the Giants sitting in first place in the NFC East at 3-1, the Commanders could use him.
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