Jayden Daniels is back on the mend.
The Commanders quarterback will not play in Washington's Week 15 game against the New York Giants, coach Dan Quinn announced Wednesday. Marcus Mariota will make his seventh start in place of Daniels.
Daniels missed three games before returning from the gruesome elbow injury he suffered in Week 9 on Sunday but aggravated the ailment when he was leveled by a Vikings defender after throwing an interception in Washington's lopsided Week 14 loss to Minnesota. Daniels exited the game following the hard fall -- in which he attempted to break his fall with his left arm -- and did not return, leaving Mariota to handle the job for the remainder of the 31-0 defeat.
Daniels did not sustain any structural setbacks in his elbow, Quinn said, but doctors did not clear him to play in Sunday's contest in New York. Eliminated from playoff contention at 3-10, Washington has little incentive to rush Daniels back to the field, instead proceeding carefully with the former No. 2 overall pick.
From a larger perspective, it's fair to wonder why Quinn is considering playing Daniels at all. The Commanders' franchise quarterback has suffered a number of injuries in his second season and has only been able to participate in seven of their 13 games. With a repeat trip to the playoffs no longer possible, it would seem wise to prevent further damage by shutting down Daniels for the remainder of the campaign.
Quinn said the Commanders haven't considered doing so with Daniels, instead affording him the opportunity to work his way back into the lineup.
"As far as what decisions are ahead, we just haven't gone down that road," Quinn said. "He's working incredibly hard to get back with the guys."
Such desire and effort are commendable but might prove foolish, especially for a player who carries immense value for a franchise. Quinn has already expressed regret for how he's handled Daniels' participation once this season, admitting he shouldn't have kept Daniels on the field late in Washington's blowout loss to Seattle, the game in which Daniels initially suffered the elbow injury.
Instead of learning from his mistake, the coach will allow his young signal-caller a chance to participate in what is otherwise a lost season. He won't play Sunday, but with three more games left, we'll see if Daniels takes the field again in 2025.
