Jayden Daniels injury update: Dan Quinn officially names QB starter for Commanders vs. Raiders

Dan Quinn has provided an answer on whether Jayden Daniels will start in Week 3. The Washington Commanders head coach has decided Marcus Mariota will lead the way for the franchise against the Las Vegas Raiders, as the sophomore quarterback nurses a knee injury.

The question of whether Daniels would be available or not came to light when he missed practice earlier this week. Friday seemed like the day we would find out whether or not the quarterback could go, and after not practicing again, Daniels will be held out of Week 3’s contest.

Moreover, Daniels suffered the injury in the 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers last Thursday. Earlier this week, Washington head coach Dan Quinn said he wanted to make sure Daniels can “absolutely be himself” in order to play this Sunday. It’s clear they’re taking a cautious approach.

He spoke to reporters on Wednesday. There, Quinn confirmed that Friday would be an important day for Daniels: “Jayden had a good rehab session day,” Quinn said, per CBS Sports. “

“He also threw out on the field. He won’t practice today, and then as we get into Friday, I’ll give you an assessment of where we’re at after we go through practice on Friday.”

Since Daniels hasn’t been practicing, it was Mariota who spoke with the media earlier this week. That’s a spot generally reserved for the starting quarterback.

Mariota played in three games for Washington last year, throwing for 364 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 92 yards and one score. All of these signs are pointed toward Daniels being held out on Sunday, and now it’s been made official.

In two games so far this year, Daniels has completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 85 yards on 18 carries. He aims to build on a 2024 season where he led the Commanders to the NFC Championship game and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year when he returns to the field.

Kickoff between the Commanders and Raiders is set for 1 p.m. ET. The game will air live on FOX. Mariota is getting the call, and we’ll see what he has in store for his former team.

— On3’s Barkley Truax and Brian Jones contributed to this report.