Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels practiced Friday for the first time since an injury to his ribs forced him out of Washington’s Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Daniels did not practice Wednesday or Thursday and was deemed a game-time decision for Sunday, when the Commanders (5-2) duel with the Chicago Bears (4-2) and rookie No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner at Southern California, was selected one spot ahead of Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner at LSU, in the 2024 draft.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn said the team won’t make a call on Daniels’ game status until gauging his recovery from Friday’s workout. Backup Marcus Mariota would get the call if Daniels is unable to run the offense.
“Jayden was able to practice (Friday),” Quinn said. “We followed the plan really that we set at the start of the week. … Think crawl, walk, run.
“We will assess how he responds to the work that we did over the next 48 hours, but we really pushed it today. We’ll make the best decision for him and the team.”
Mariota jumped into the captain’s seat to guide the Commanders to a 40-7 win against Carolina. Daniels left the game after an opening-drive field goal and didn’t return. He was hurt on a 46-yard run to open the first drive of the game for Washington and had three carries for 50 yards.
Mariota, who has appeared in 92 career games, shares Daniels’ penchant for tucking the ball and running. He had 11 carries for 34 yards last week and completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
Daniels has 66 rushing attempts — for 372 yards and four touchdowns — this season, and the Commanders could be weighing whether to expose Daniels to another hit to the ribs as a ballcarrier.
Quinn insisted he’ll play if he withstands a return to practice Friday, but the team won’t have the answer until Sunday.
“How does your body respond from really getting pushed to go? I would say that’s what we need to see,” Quinn said. “The testing is ongoing to get to that spot, but it was a good day.”