Jayden Daniels looked like a full participant in practice on Wednesday, October 7, and if you are a Commanders fan, you know this reinforcement could not have come soon enough. This marks the first time he has not been a limited participant or held out of practice since suffering his gruesome dislocated elbow injury all the way back in Week 2.
The QB Injury Nightmare Just Got a Wake-Up Call
This 2026 season has been absolutely brutal for injuries to NFL quarterbacks across the league, and few teams have had more first-hand experience with that horror show than the Commanders. Daniels missed the entire second half of Washington’s second game after that Week 2 elbow injury, then sat out all of Week 3 and Week 4. Just when you thought it could not get worse, against the Colts in Week 4, the Commanders lost backup quarterback Marcus Mariota in his second start of the season. He sustained a sprained MCL on Washington’s second possession. Rookie seventh-rounder Athan Kaliakmanis had to fill in for Mariota for the remainder of Week 4, and it looked like he might actually make his first career start. But now, Daniels appears ready to return for his third start of the season in Week 5. What a wild ride!
Proof: Daniels Is Really Back (And What Happened)
ESPN reporter John Keim posted a video of Daniels throwing at practice on October 7, and in the social media post’s caption, Keim wrote that Daniels is “expected to be a full participant in practice.” This is not just a rumor folks, we have video! Later in that very practice session, Keim dropped another video showing Daniels taking a simulated snap from a coach and even pitching the ball to running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that Daniels would be a full participant in practice during the week. That is a massive step up for Daniels from last week. In Week 4, the former No. 2 overall pick actually traveled with his team to London and was a limited participant every single day leading up to the game. He was eventually ruled out and spent the game on the sideline with his teammates.
Daniels suffered his most recent elbow injury on the final play before halftime in the Commanders’ Week 2 loss to the Cowboys. The third-year quarterback got his legs tangled up with his offensive line after taking a snap and unfortunately stuck out his left arm to brace his fall. His elbow seemingly gave out as his arm bent the wrong way. The dislocated left elbow injury for Daniels was a crushing repeat of the very same ailment that ultimately ended his season early last year. He missed three games after sustaining the original injury in Week 9 last year, then he re-injured it when he returned in Week 14 and missed the rest of that entire season. Talk about a tough break, twice.
So, Daniels looks set for his third start of the season in Week 5 against the Giants. After what this team has been through with its quarterbacks, seeing Daniels out there fully again is huge. It is time to see what he can do, for real this time, and hopefully, put this brutal injury streak behind them.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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