Jayden Daniels injury update: ESPN's Adam Schefter raises doubt about status vs. Raiders

Jayden Daniels did not practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday nursing a knee injury. This has led ESPN’s Adam Schefter to cast doubt on the Commanders QB’s status on Sunday against the Raiders.

“The tone the Commanders are using suggests that Jayden Daniels, right now, might have a tough time being out there on Sunday,” Schefter said during NFL Live on Thursday. “They said the soonest he would practice would be Friday. I don’t think it would be a surprise if Dan Quinn ruled out Jayden Daniels on Friday, and if Daniels can’t go, then Marcus Mariota would start Sunday against the Raiders.”

It was previously noted that Daniels would miss practice until at least Friday. According to Schefter, he believes a final injury designation will be made before the weekend is through. That means Friday’s practice could be the deciding factor in his final status for Sunday against Las Vegas.

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 with their QB1.

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn spoke to reporters on Wednesday. There, Quinn confirmed that Friday will 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.”

Additionally, since Daniels is not practicing, it was Mariota who spoke with media on Wednesday which is 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 pointing toward Daniels being held out on Sunday, though that final designation has not been made just yet.

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.

Kickoff between the Commanders and Raiders is set for 1 p.m. ET. The game will air live on FOX.

On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this report.